Borehole taps like the one you see above are the normal means of getting water here in Southern Sudan. A borehole functions just as the name suggests, an approximately six inch diameter hole is bored deep into the dirt and granite, water in the ground fills into the hole. By inserting a long segmented pipe with a pump attached to it the water can be sucked the fifty or so feet to the eagerly awaiting and thirsty people on the surface (like the children above). I’ve drew a little diagram of what the borehole would look like if the earth was cut away and you were looking at it from the side:
As you may know, Sudan is still a new mission field and so the team is still getting a feel for how they can best love people here. Mike and Christine have been working with the town's water office to get a feel for future projects and present drinking water needs.
I think this is what led somehow (I’ve only started working here after the inception of these plans) to the projects we are working on at present. Anyway, I thought it might be nice to showcase the two projects that are being worked on, and will now be really moving forward thanks to the fact that we were able to buy and ship supplies for them in Kampala last week.The picture of the borehole from the beginning of this post is from the site of the theological college, a once prestigious institution for pastors to train. The college is now only beginning to rebuild from the ruins that stand in the wake of the recent and devastating civil war. This borehole will serve as the site of a solar pump system, one that will provide water for the local community and for the future residents of the college. This simple blessing of a solar powered pump does much to improve quality of life for those who would use it. Not only does it ensure that there will be water flowing without the tiring manual pumping, it allows the borehole to be tapped to its full potential. In place of a slow pumping and tiring borehole where a person might wait in line for hours will soon be a system of multiple taps, each flowing at a nice rate and without any effort on the part of he or she who is waiting for the water (though it’s almost always a she who is waiting).
Hai Salama is another place where we’re helping to
install a solar pump water network. It is a small village that has great potential for population growth. The borehole found in this community has a large yield, which makes it ideal for a solar pump system. Three taps, like the one you see in the second picture will be installed, with the plans of more being added into the system as the population increases in the area. This will likely be the first of the systems that the mission here has helped to complete. To the right is the water tower that was raised next to a tap that we helped to build. The next steps will be creating a solar panel array, dropping in the pump, and putting in the pipe system! I get excited when I catch glimpses of how these projects will and are blessing the people here. For too long have they been ravaged by war and its after effects that rob them of things we take for granted. Among these things are easily accessible fresh water, roads, and even the audacity to hope that things built will not be washed away like sand castles by the waves of war. What gives me hope for Mundri is seeing how many of its people rely on the foundation of Jesus Christ’s love for them, and are satisfied in Him instead of their own works. Even the most beautiful cities made by man will eventually fade and return to dust, but the love that we stand to gain from our relationship to God thanks to Christ is hope for the future that cannot fade, will stand against the darkest times, and is longed for by every man. The spreading of this is what truly gives me hope for Mundri, I’m just enjoying my time as a representative of this love.
I’ll hopefully be able to write more soon about how this project will progress and finish soon.
