Tallahasseans at Element 3 Church Saturday night helped dig a water well in Kenya. If you’re wondering how exactly that worked, WFSU has your answer.
Local singer Avis Berry, who has ties to the village where the well is being dug, gave a benefit concert for the project.
Amon Rwito, an elementary school teacher, is Berry’s husband. His elderly parents live in the village, and Rwito says his son got sick after taking a shower there.
"The need is great," he said. "I grew up there. What I can say is, the water -- I don’t remember drinking water with my eyes open. Because the water is so dirty, you cannot drink water with your eyes open.”
So, he and Berry decided to find a way to cover the cost of digging a well.
“We hired two local gentlemen, and with their bare hands, they dug 75 feet down," said Rwito. "It took them four months and they reached water. So, when we got the water, then I was, like, ‘Yes, my parents have clean water, but my neighbors will not have any water.’”
So they raised the money for a tank that could hold water for 11 homes with multiple families. When the drought came, though, that wasn’t enough. Now, they’re raising money for machinery to dig 600 feet -- enough to reach a stable water source.
Rwito says he’s overwhelmed by the kindness Tallahasseans have shown his village.
“They have never been to this village to see the need for water which is there," he said. "So, for the people here to be so connected, so caring and generous enough to feel that they want to help -- I am beyond grateful for that.”
The Kenya Water Project hopes to raise the funds for the machinery, pipes and tanks to drill the well and store the water for the villagers’ use.
