Kurkum Well

When we first surveyed the land around Kurkum, we found that apart from a few shallow wells nearby, there was a desperate lack of water. Though we were still moving forward with Shelby’s Well in nearby Kargi, we could not escape this thought: “If the rains don’t come and the shallow wells dry up in Kurkum, they have nothing.” We decided to shift gears and drill two boreholes at once - one in Kargi and one in Kurkum. We worked with the leaders to determine a location with which they were comfortable. Together, we agreed on a site that was promising for water and close to the heart of town. 

Photo from one of many droughts which regularly challenge those who live in the region.

In November of 2020, we hit water at the agreed upon site in Kurkum. Having committed first to finishing Shelby’s Well, we continued to assure the people of Kurkum that their new borehole (which had provided a high yield of very good water when tested) would eventually be a fully functional well once we raised the funds. It was heartbreaking to go back twice to see the borehole (pipe) sticking out of the ground, knowing there was clean, fresh, abundant water just below the surface. All that prevented it from serving the people was the funds to finish out the well, and getting through a worldwide pandemic! On each trip, we discussed the future water with the leaders. In a land where promises are easy to make but not always kept, we understood how they were only cautiously optimistic. Their “seeing is believing” mindset makes perfect sense when one considers that getting their hopes up has often led to disappointment. Still, we worked together to develop plans for the water that we knew was coming.

Kurkum borehole awaiting pump installation.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, in April of 2022 our water team rolled across the desert again with the machines needed to turn a borehole into a well! It had been over 500 days since the borehole had been drilled - 500 days of young girls walking by a pipe in the ground to go to the shallow wells to draw water, 500 days of community leaders wondering if this borehole would be forgotten, like many of the promises that had been made to them, 500 days of hoping there would be enough rain during the sporadic rainy seasons to get them by until the next one. That April, the wait was over.  

Water freely flowing from the distribution kiosk in Kurkum.

Though they had been receiving clean water from this well for months, on our July 2022 trip, the well in Kurkum was officially opened! The people celebrated life-giving water that flowed from the well. They sang. They prayed. They hugged. They smiled… a lot! They thanked us for our help with the project while we thanked them for their patience in waiting. We talked with them even more about how they will care for the well and maintain it so that it can help them move forward. In a land where dreaming is often considered unwise, we dreamed together about their future. We dreamed about how the nearby medical clinic we were working on would benefit from the water. We dreamed about how the schools, churches, and other community institutions, both present and future would be helped. We anticipated challenges and worked toward solutions - together. Most of all, we just enjoyed our time with one another. And we smiled…a lot!

Many from the village came to celebrate the dedication of the Kurkum Well.