The 1000 Wells Project 1000wells.org
By Marlene Pyle

Are you drinking a cup of coffee right now, or maybe sipping a soda? Would you be willing to give up your morning latte if it meant that a needy person somewhere in the world would have clean, safe water to drink?
The 1000 Wells Project, sponsored by the Blood:Water Mission, hopes you will.

It’s a relatively painless way to make a big difference. For instance, one dollar will provide someone in Africa with clean drinking water for a year! One year, for less than a stop at Starbucks on the way to work.

The way it works is this: for two weeks make water your only beverage. Collect the money you would have spent for other beverages, and send it to the project. It’s that simple. It would be a unique and wonderful project for a church group, a classroom, a family or an office.

The Blood:Water Mission is committed to building wells in a way that allows communities to take control of their own development. Their 1000 Wells Project uses donated funds to save lives by drilling a clean water well in a place where people drink from polluted streams and disease-ridden pits. The organization hopes to build 1000 wells and change over 1 million lives. The cost of digging a well can vary greatly depending on how deep it must be and through what sort of soil or rock must be dug. Most cost around $6,000.00, but when divided by the number of people who will benefit from it, the average cost is only about $10 per person.

One billion people in the world lack access to clean water. They drink from lakes polluted with animal and human waste as well as parasites. Preventable water related diseases kill 4 children every minute.
The Blood:Water Mission is calling people and organizations from all over the country to help with this project. The Jars of Clay, a popular Christian music group has lent their assistance. They raise funds for the 1000 Wells Project during their concerts, helping to promote awareness and involvement. Each member of the audience was invited to give $1 to this worthy cause, and the response was overwhelming.

Their lead singer, Dan Haseltine, visited Africa in 2002 and was saddened by what he saw. He was shaken by the poverty and physical suffering there, and knew that he had to find a way to help. He returned home with a vision for clean blood and clean water in Africaâ€"blood free of the HIV virus and water free of the bacteria that cause AIDS patients and others to suffer. He and his band mates wanted this orphaned continent to be transformed through the installation of Christ’s sacrificial symbols of blood and water.
As of May, the project had already initiated 42 water projects in 8 different countries, providing clean water for more than 35,000 Africans.

The website bloodwatermission.com is loaded with information. Please contact them if you would like to help with this important and worthwhile project.

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