What Is the Cost of a Well in Africa?

The cost of a well in Africa is nothing compared to the suffering of so many due to water scarcity and water contamination. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a water crisis that is only set to get worse without intervention.

Global Citizen reports, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that almost every African is impacted by water scarcity, both directly and indirectly. Those directly affected have no immediate access to water and have to travel long distances to provide water for their households and businesses. Water access to some citizens is not as easy as opening a tap or flushing the toilet.”[1]

The Council on Foreign Relations agrees: “Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from chronically overburdened water systems under increasing stress from fast-growing urban areas … Experts say incorporating water improvements into economic development is necessary to end the severe problems caused by water stress and to improve public health and advance the economic stability of the region.”[2]

You might think that making these types of improvements would be costly and beyond our ability to contribute in any meaningful way. The truth is that we can make an immediate and affordable difference in the lives of those in Africa who battle water scarcity every day.

At GFA World, we provide clean water solutions that fit the particular needs of the community. In many parts of the world, one solution is to drill bore wells we call Jesus Wells. These wells are very economical for us to install, and using local contract work helps to keep the cost down even more. Then the parts used and the local congregation maintenance model makes the ongoing use of the well possible for decades.

Not only do the wells serve the water needs of hundreds of people in a village, but they also provide an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with those who come to use them. Every well has a plaque attached to it that reads (in the local language), “Jesus answered and said to her: ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”


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