REPAIRING VILLAGE WATER WELLS

January 3, 2013

CLEAN SAFE DRINKING WATER IS A LUXURY FOR LAOS' RURAL POOR

Although first posted in May 2007, the same critical issue continues into 2013.  Drinking contaminated water causes serious illness as I experience a month ago.  It looks no different but the effects are often deadly.  Let's make a sustainable difference in our rural Laotian friends lives with clean safe wells and quality pumps.

Indigo Threads has made two of our assisted villages very happy.  We have contracted to have their village wells repaired.  One village has not had an operating clean, safe well for 3 years.  This well services 35 families.  The other village's well is about 10 years old, servicing about the same number of families.  Attempts to fix the pump by the villagers failed.  These two villages are among the poorest.  There are no village funds for repairs.

You may ask, where do they get their water?  They carry water from a river 3 km behind their village.  Children are often seen carrying a stick over their shoulder with a pail at each end.  A few people dig a shallow well, 10-15 meters, drawing the muddy water with a pail tied on the end of a rope.  All of this polluted water must be boiled  before drinking or using for food preparation.

Again, a reminder: clean, safe water is a luxury in developing countries.  Indigo Threads was able to provide these people ( 70 families) with safe water for $270.00.

Your donations can help provide clean, safe water.  Please, support Indigo Threads Laotian programs by going to our donation page on the web-site.

For more information, please contact Mary D. Meyer---President/Director.

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