Water is Life

Drilling day finally arrived!  I led the caravan of drilling equipment.  We only had to travel 37 km (23 miles).  It took us over 4 hours due to the condition of the roads.

We arrived at the "rock".  This is the signpost for the village of Nendorko and the place we have to turn off the main road.  As you can see, it says it is only 8 more km. But, it took another hour to get to the village!

This is one of the places I was concerned about with this huge, heavy truck.

We finally made it and were welcomed by the ladies and children.

Kisima Drilling Company was the drillers we chose.  This large white truck was full of interesting bits and pieces needed for the comfort of the drilling team, as well as the numerous 15 foot rods used to drill.

The school children were estatic!  They stood on the sides of the road and waved as we went by.

After locating the spot to drill, the villagers gathered around with the drilling team and our group.

Prayer before drilling begins. 

The driller's decided the tree had to come down in order for them to position their drilling truck.

The drilling truck began raising the "drill" portion.  The ladies standing around us started backing up.  Some of the children started running.  They were all certain the truck was going to fall over!

After it got into position, they were more comfortable with the situation.

Meanwhile, part of the drilling team began erecting their tent and cooking area.  Their team had 11 members including their own cook and security guard.

I knew I didn't want to miss any of this exciting experience, so I brought Peninah (a Maasai nurse who is also a board member of Starfish Charities), and Teresa, my friend and house helper.  We packed cots, food, and anything else we felt we needed for our comfort.  This is the back door of the church/school.  Pastor Matayo (in red) was showing us our "home" for the next four days.  We were very comfortable.

We cooked inside our little room over a gas cylinder.  Here Teresa and Peninah are preparing a stew.  Although we brought enough food with us, the community slaughtered a goat and divided it between us and the drilling team.  Yum!  Please remember we had to carry all our water for four days, and there wasn't any electricity, flushing toilets, or even a phone signal!

Part of our routine was brushing our teeth!  Teresa couldn't resist taking the picture!

We watched the children arrive for school each morning.  Its hard to tell what they were carrying, but they were required to bring sticks (for the cooking fire), and a liter of either milk or water.  Even the smallest children arrived with a stick in hand and some sort of container.

Then they stood over this large cooking pot and poured the dirty water from the nearby pond.  This water was from recent rains, but the water hole was shared by humans and animals.  It was dirty brown.  After they poured the water, the teacher added the peas (or lentils -- not really sure) and put it over a fire to cook all morning as the children were in school.  From time to time, one of the students would go check on the fire and stir the pot.  The teacher was responsible for cooking lunch for the kids each day.  The milk they brought was used to prepare chai (tea) for the two teachers.

Back to the drilling!  The men continued preparing the rig and the drilling rods.

The goats were very excited the tree got cut down!  It made eating the leaves much easier.  Throughout the day, the goats returned time and again for a snack!

I made popcorn and began handing it out to the children and women.  The ladies didn't enjoy it, but the kids kept coming back for more!

The driller's were very generous when they had to get water for the drilling process.  They went to that muddy water hole to get what they needed.  The drilling guys realized the burden these women carry while fetching 40 lbs of water on their backs.  They offerend to help them by hauling those containers of water in their truck. 

The "thing" they are pulling on from the side of the truck is actually the 8' drilling bit.

Getting the bit in place.

Maasai men anxiously anticipating whatever comes next!

This is dust!  It was choking and overwhelming, but necessary to get down into the ground.

Every two meters (6ish feet), they had to take a soil sample to help them understand the rock formation below.

We noticed the soil below the drilling bits was suddenly darker and we knew something had changed.  At a closer look, we realized it was water.  Glorious water!

The geologist taking the soil samples showed me his muddy hand!  What an incredible sight.

Animals are amazing.  These goats were in the field nibbling on grass and shrubs.  Suddenly their heads came up, and they ran to the rig and found this new stream!  What a joyful sight.

Pastor Matayo had been at the church training the young women of the community.  When he arrived, I pointed out to him that they had found water (maji).  

He looked at me in disbelief and repeated "maji?".  I said yes.

He got teary and covered his face as if he couldn't believe such a thing was possible.  He has lived here all his life and has never known clean water.

The next response was that hand in the air prasing God for such a miracle.  Then my tears began to flow.  Overhwhelmed and overjoyed.  I have wanted this for them for such a long time.  And it was my birthday!  What an awesome gift.

One of the leaders in the village just had to have his picture made with me.  He presented me with a liter of goat milk.

The ladies with the donkeys were trying to head home.  Suddenly there was water where no water had been before.  The donkeys became very excited and confused and refused to go where the women were trying to lead them.  It took alot of coaxing to get them past that stream of water!

These cows were nearby and ran to that wonderful stream.

The men are conferring and rejoicing and most likely planning!

My lady friends and I were in the shade with the community womenn and children during the drilling process.

Several gifts were presented to me and my friends.  Lovely beadwork made by the women is a treasured gift.

There was virtually no network for our phones.  However, if you stood under this tree and held your phone at just the right position, you could get enough bars to send text messages!  I was standing here for five minutes texting my children in the states, and various other people who were excited to hear of our success.  What an amazing day!

Our fantastic drilling team!  The drilling was successful and that makes them happy.  The well is 271 meters deep (889 feet).

Nendorko Kenya -- Preparation

A few weeks ago, the driller set a date for drilling the new well in Nendorko.  However, due to its remoteness, and the deplorable condition of the roads, I expressed my concern that the huge drilling truck might have problems getting into the village.  We all agreed it would be good to do a test run with the driver of the rig so he could evaluate the terrain and determine if he could get the drilling truck to the site.  We went in my car, which is tough and has four-wheel drive.  It had rained the night before and the already deteriorated roads were slippery with mud.

We were doing well until we came to a particularly bad section of the road where a huge trucks slid sideways and into the ditch (not pictured).  His position made it impossible to pass, so a "new" road was created by the vehicles needing to pass.  The truck below was overloaded with goods for the market.  He slid into a low spot and couldn't move.  We had to create another new road across a pasture in order to get ahead of this small truck.

The pasture was soaked, but we plowed ahead.

After we finally cleared that bad spot, we proceeded toward the village.  Along the way, we passed these creative ladies who were cooking chai (hot tea) for the travelers who wished to stop for some refreshments.

The road ahead just got worse, but slowly by slowly ( a Kenyan expression) we moved forward.

We came to a sudden road block.  This brush was put here by the Maasai cattle owners to keep the cows from passing.  We are not sure why, but we repected the roadblock.  Pastor John jumped out and moved the brush, and then after we passed, he put it back where it belonged.

We finally arrived at the village school.  The children were outside waiting for us and greeted us with smiles.

This is Pastor Matayo (pastor of the Baptist Church in the village).  The customary greeting for Maasai children is to touch their heads.  You will notice the children approached us while ducking their heads.

After the proper greetings, we took off toward the tree the geologist had marked indicating the best place to drill the well.

The village of the Nendorko is situated in a "bowl" with tall ridges surrounding it.  To reach water, the people of this village have to climb over two of these.  It can take hours and hours to get to the nearest water.

Still walking!

We finally reached the tree marked with a number "3".  The geologist had located 3 potential locations to drill.  This location was located within the four acres that had been donated by a local family.

The spot in front of the guy with the pink shirt is where the drillers should drill.

As we headed out of the village back towards Nairobi, we came to this beautiful scene of the Ngong Hills in the background, an acacia tree, and this serene Maasai cow.  I love this country!

We were all hungry, so as we passed through the next village, we stopped to eat.  Everyone had their fill of meat, stew, greens, and sodas.  I fed 6 men and myself for about $10!!  Gotta love it!

It was market day in this village.  I took this picture through the window of the cafe.  The Maasai women outside were sitting around deep in discussion.  I just loved the colorful picture.

Now that we established that the drilling rig could get into the village, we headed back to Nairobi excited about the drilling that would commence the following week.  Exciting anticipation!