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Well No. 18 Nuevo Horizonte - Godoy House Sponsors - Larry Hunter Development Corp. Hiram, Georgia This is the third well that we have drilled in the settlement of Nuevo Horizonte, a newly opened homestead community (Wells 16 and 17 are also located in the area). This well is located near the house of the Godoy family, members of the Quinta Linea church. We selected this location because it is in far from other water resources and several families can easily access the well. Like the other wells in Nuevo Horizonte, this well is also fitted with a hand pump due to lack of electric power. When we drill wells that are not located at churches or schools, we draw up a formal agreement deeding the well location to the Neighborhood Commission, and then get the representatives of the Neighborhood Commission to sign an agreement committing to not limit access to the water based on religion, political affiliation or race. In this way, we hope to assure that the water will remain accessible to all who need it in the future.
Although there are only a few houses in the immediate vicinity of this well, there are a lot of people who will use it. Pabla's family alone consists of herself, her husband, and 10 children who live with them. Her oldest daughter is married and has two children of her own (her husband is the Principle of the Susannah Wesley School). The dirt road that passes by the well has considerable traffic already, which will increase as more houses are built in the area. If our other wells are any guide, there will be plenty of folks showing up with all sorts of containers and means of transport.
As can be seen, we were drilling in a wide open grassy field - and it was HOT - notice that the young man has a tee shirt tied over his head in a style that looks like a turban. One of the first things that we do when we set up is rig our tarp for shade. This is where we set up the tool table and Linda's drilling mud testing station - she gets to work in the shade!
We always attract a lot of kids when we drill - and it seems that we can't get enough photos of them. The little guy on the right just looks like he is ready to walk in his dad's footsteps in the "chacra" - the local word for planted field.
All of the families in the area were previously using one hand-dug well which yields brown colored water of dubious quality. Also, since the soil is very sandy, hand excavating a well can only go to a depth of about 3 feet below the water table - which means the well goes dry every time the water table drops due to lack of rainfall. The well that the Agua de Vida Ministry installed is 75 feet below the water table and produces abundant, dependable, clean water - which will allow these children to stay cleaner and be healthier. To God be the Glory! For those who want to read about the technical details of the well, click here.
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