Wells of Hope: Concern supporters are bringing clean water to communities

Recently, we have seen an increase in Concern supporters donating to purchase a Concern Village Well gift. Their generosity helps support Concern projects across the world, including the building and rehabilitation of water points or ‘wells’.  

We want to say a huge thank you and share some updates on our work to ensure communities facing water scarcity can access clean water.

In emergency situations, we often begin with water trucking – bringing in huge trucks with tanks full of water - to ensure committees have immediate access to this vital resource, but this is a short-term solution. Building a water point, or rehabilitating one that is there already, is a sustainable long-term solution. 

Sometimes we need to drill for a new water point, which requires analysing groundwater distribution and soil and rock structure and finding the right place to dig. Sometimes, communities have already dug these wells, and Concern only needs to help with fitting in hand pumps that seal and protect the well — this makes collection easier and water safer. 

In areas where grid power is unreliable (or nonexistent), solutions like solar water pumps are an economically, and ecologically, friendly solution that makes use of the most reliable resource: sunlight. 

Once the new reliable well is built, often a water management committee (WMC) is established. Members of the committee are elected by the local community to oversee and manage the well, receiving the training they need to do this.  

When community members take ownership of their local water systems, both present and future, water is more available for those who need it. Thanks to the trust of the local community, these projects can run smoothly for years and decades, ensuring families can access clean water for generations!