Q&A With Salome, WFLI Benin Vision Trip Participant
Salome from Germany recently participated in Global Aid Network (GAiN) Canada’s 2018 Benin Vision trip.
Q: How did you first hear about GAiN?
A: I heard about GAiN some years ago when my brother and his wife were involved in helping with one of GAiN Germany’s projects. They recommended that I go on one of GAiN’s mission trips and I ended up going on my first trip to Haiti with GAiN Germany in 2015.
Q: How did you end up hearing about the trip and what made you want to go?
A: In 2016, I sponsored a well for [Benin] through GAiN’s Water for Life Initiative. In 2017, I was informed that it had been assigned to a village in Benin. I was quite curious to see it with my own eyes – especially if there is really a plaque with my name on it. Unfortunately, GAiN Germany did not offer a trip to Benin, however, they let me know that GAiN Canada offers a vision trip. Thus, I contacted the Canadian office and was lucky to meet Lily, GAiN Canada’s LIFE Teams Manager. The trip was scheduled for the southern part of Benin (where the GAiN office and accommodation are located), however, my well was 600 km north. Lily and the GAiN Benin staff helped organize an individual three day trip for me to see my well in the north. Still, today, I appreciate their efforts.
Q: What did you do and see while on the trip?
A: We visited several small villages, every day seeing a different aspect of the Water for Life Initiative:
- Drilling of the well
- Flushing of the well (when an air compressor pushes the water out of the top of the well to clean out dirt and debris from drilling, causing clean water to spray out of the well)
- Watching presentations from GAiN partners DRIME (Disciples Ready in Mobile Evangelism) and The JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy
- Attending Hygiene and Sanitation Trainings
- Celebrating in a newly planted church and experiencing African worship
- Taking part in the weekly staff and prayer meetings
- Visiting the village that I had sponsored a well for [it is called Dipokor Fontri] and talking to the residents of the village
Q: How was the journey from the GAiN Benin office to the village of Dipokor Fontri?
A: The journey from the south (GAiN office) to the north (my well) and back was really exciting. It took me 11 hours one way and an additional hour for a repair stop because the car’s gas pump was malfunctioning. This was on the trip to the north and for a moment I thought I would never arrive at my destination. I sat in the shadow of the “open air garage” that we found along the way, and prayed while eight Africans cleaned the pump. Finally, it worked and we could continue on our trip.
Most of the distance was on a potholed asphalt road. Overtaking manoeuvres of heavy trucks and overloaded cars, as well as lane changes, caused me to close my eyes from time to time. On the other hand, I opened my eyes widely to catch all the sights of small villages, busy wives, simple markets on the roadside, churches, mosques and fields with interesting plants and much more. The closer we came to my village the more the road changed into a path and the last kilometer I had to walk through fields like a scout.
On this trip I was accompanied by a GAiN Benin staff member and a driver. Communication was in french. We had two overnight stays in a hotel, in the typical local style, in a quite big city three hours away from my village.
Q: What were some highlights of the trip?
A: Seeing how motivated, well-organized and dedicated the local staff is to demonstrating the love of God. Seeing the partnership of the JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy and seeing a screening of the JESUS film in the village. Visiting Dipokor Fontri. I got to see the impact that a well makes in the lives of the people and to talk to inhabitants of the village and see their gratefulness. As a present, they gave me 25 kg of sweet potatoes and yams from their fields. The chief of the village said: “We do not have a lot. But what we do have we would like to share with you.”
Q: How did you see God’s love demonstrated in the field?
A: I was encouraged to see the local staff live out love in everything they do. During drilling the GAiN staff sleeps in the huts among the villagers and not in hotels. This way they show humility and that they are just one of them. During weekly staff meetings the local staff not only pray for the work but also for the donors. The trainers are well prepared for the hygiene and sanitation trainings.
In partnership with the JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy, the staff involved contact local pastors before the drilling of a well and stay in contact with them after new people join the church.
Q: What were your expectations of the trip before they left and how were they compared to what you experienced?
A: I expected that we would see the well in some villages and hear the story of how it was constructed. My expectations were exceeded. I did not expect that I would be on spot to see a well being drilled and see the flushing of the well or see a showing of the JESUS film and attend a hygiene and sanitation training.
Q: Would you recommend that people go on a vision trip with GAiN?
A: Yes, I would definitely recommend going on a vision trip. It’s great to see the impact of a donation – not only from photos in an annual report but on site.
Q: Do you have any other experiences or comments that you would like to share?
A: I believe in Water for Life Initiative’s wholistic concept that includes the following:
- Providing wells- because clean water in the villages saves lives.
- Partnering with the JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy to share the message of God’s love and connect people to local churches and further resources for spiritual growth.
- Hygiene and Sanitation Training teaches people who have no access to education about proper hygiene habits and how to avoid diseases.
- Ensure maintenance of the wells by:
- Having a well committee in each village
- Training and equipment of regional technical staff for repairs
- Monitoring – staff regularly return to the villages to manage the wells and the work of the committee (this guarantees the functioning of the well for long-term sustainability).
All of this is done by locals!
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Brick making is a significant source of income for the people in Southern Tanzania as the soil is strong.
The process of making bricks involves creating a pit of mud, packing the wet soil into forms to make rectangular shapes and then baking them over a fire.
However, the challenging thing about this task is that is requires a lot of water, which is difficult for most villages to collect.
Chilaile is no exception.
Water is scarce and almost non-existent in the dry season.
But now that GAiN has provided a deep-capped water well, the village has been transformed.
Not only has the well improved the local economy, it has made significant impact on the health of the village.
Villagers used to suffer from a lot of waterborne diseases such as dysentery and cholera. Today, they are drinking clean and safe water.
WILL YOU HELP OTHER VILLAGES RECEIVE THE GIFT OF CLEAN AND SAFE WATER?
To see the health a village, just look at the health of its children.
In African society, the lack of clean water places a large burden on women because they are often tasked with the responsibility of collecting water for the family.
So we were delighted when we visited the village of Kariakoo, Tanzania and asked how the addition of a deep-capped well has impacted the village. A woman in the crowd answered, “Now we have more time to make babies!”
This answer was met with a roar of laughter but as funny as the statement is, it is true. Her statement is a reflection of the impact that clean water can have, not just on one woman but on a family and a whole community.
This lady wanted more children, but because of the hardships surrounding a lack of clean water, she didn’t have the capacity, time or health to bear and care for another child. Now with the deep-capped well in place, she has improved health and more time to devote to nurturing her family.
WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF FAMILIES? THIS WORLD WATER DAY, MAKE A DONATION TOWARD A WATER WELL TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND HEALTH OF FAMILIES!
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GAiN’s Water for Life Initiative has reached a new milestone – providing 1000 communities with access to safe water in Benin! This translates to approximately 1 million people who have now benefited from GAiN’s water program.
The 1000th village to receive a well is Koudjinnada, approximately 90 minutes north of the largest city, Cotonou. Prior to the provision of the water point, the community relied on three different nearby unsafe water sources, like hand-dug wells or swamps, that are harmful to the community. When we visited, one of those old water wells was closed. Rumour has it that some time ago, someone was fetching water from that well and fell to their death, resulting in the closure of the well. Needless to say, the community was ecstatic when a safe water point was provided in the community.
The water point itself is a little different than our normal hand pumps, as it has a water tower connected to an electric generator. Users can just easily turn a tap to fill their basins or jerry cans.
To celebrate this milestone, GAiN hosted a few days of activities in Benin. Some of the GAiN Canada staff, including Ray Sawatsky, GAiN CEO, were present for the celebration. Rod Bergen, President of Power to Change, and some of the other board members and donors, also travelled to Benin to celebrate with GAiN Benin staff.
A village celebration was held in Koudjinnada on Feb. 12th, in the presence of Seidou Adambi Samou, the Benin Minister of Water, Mines and Hydraulic, and Francis Loko, the former Benin Ambassador to Canada.
The ceremony featured speeches from different officials, as well as testimony from a woman who shared the benefits of the new water point. The well was officially opened by Benin’s Minister of Water and GAiN’s CEO. Members of the local press were also in attendance.
And of course, there was a lot of cultural singing and dancing!
The Celebration was followed by a dinner gala the next day, to remember the past, but also to look forward to the future of GAiN in Benin. The evening had speeches and skit performances by a local performance group.
We couldn’t have reached this milestone without you. We thank you for your partnership in providing these communities with safe water sources!
WANT TO HELP BRING SAFE WATER TO MORE COMMUNITIES?
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Unsafe water can cripple. It will make people sick. According to WHO, 340,000 children die each year from diarrhoeal diseases due to unsafe water and poor hygiene and sanitation. The effects of waterborne diseases are evident. People are weaker and more susceptible to infections.
Women like Pascalline, from the village of Ayedero Igbo Dogbo, Benin, faced this reality day to day. She would wonder if the day would ever come when she would no longer get stomach aches from drinking contaminated water. It didn’t help that she had to walk several hours uphill to get unclean water to drink – all with a weakened immune system and the stress and pressure of providing for the family.
But now that a deep-capped water well has been provided, where Pascalline can access clean and safe water, she has extra time and energy to care for her family. The time she saved can now be allotted to something more productive.
“The water tastes great! It makes me feel better and stronger,” shares Pascalline.
Clean water restores people, bringing them into wellness. It restores their health and dignity – particularly in the case of women. Water gives women like Pascalline strength, power and dignity – encouraging them to dream once again and unleash their potential.
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The village of Kouorou, Benin suffered from a lack of water, depending on their only water source – the swamp. The contaminated water from the swamp caused frequent sickness, meaning villagers would spend a lot of time and money in hospitals.
“We would share the same water as the animals,” Marie, a village resident of 10 years, explained. “Cows would walk to the swamp and walk in the water, which was painful to know that I am drinking the same water as them. We just didn’t have any other choice. We felt sad for ourselves because it was giving us sickness.”
Marie still remembers the day GAiN brought a deep-capped well to Kouorou. The people of Kourou rejoiced – celebrating because they knew it would be the end of suffering. “I’m so happy to have this water well in my village,” she said with gratitude.
“There is a big difference between the two sources of water,” Marie declared. “The old one was like mud water and here, this is pure clean water.”
The first change the well has brought is health to the village. Frequent sickness that occurred has slowed down, meaning villagers like Marie get to experience true wellness.
DO YOU WANT TO HELP PROVIDE A CLEAN WATER SOURCE FOR PEOPLE LIKE MARIE? LESS THAN $10 CAN BUY DISEASE-FREE WATER FOR ONE PERSON FOR UP TO 25 YEARS.
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Before receiving a deep-capped well, the villagers of Windjinnawa, Benin knew that the only water available to them was unsafe and could cause them to contract deadly diseases. Still, they drank the dirty water because they had no other option.
“We used to get our water from the swamp,” Village Chief Jacques told the Water for Life Initiative team during a visit in August. “We know that it is not potable, that it is dirty water, but we had no choice. When we drank it, both kids and adults would get sick. Kids have died because of cholera (a waterborne disease).”
Once GAiN provided a well for Windjinnawa, the difference in health was immediate and significant. There was no more sickness caused by contaminated water. Villagers were able to save money because they no longer had to pay for hospital visits or medicine for treatment of illnesses.
“People were amazed,” Jacques recalled the first sight of clean water from the well. “They could not believe it. They were asking, “Is this clean water that is coming out of here?” This is some kind of dream for us. We never thought we would have clean water in our village.”
Since the addition of the well in the village, Windjinnawa set up a system to collect 10 CFA francs ($0.02 CAD) per bucket, putting the money aside for well maintenance and possible future repairs.
“For people [10 CFA francs per bucket] is affordable. The well has brought them so much relief from going to the swamp, which is even farther. They’re happier to pay 10 francs per bucket than going to the swamp.”
Jacques aspires that the village will be able to save enough money from the funds collected to build a water tower, to get water pumped directly to family homes.
Until then, GAiN’s water program continues to make an impact in Windjinnawa households through different community education and health opportunities.
Jacques explained how he and other villagers are implementing what they learned in hygiene and sanitation trainings. He gave the example of putting a lid on the bucket after filling it up with water, and having soap next to it, ready for use.
“We use the handwashing stations and even small children are taught to wash their hands before they do anything.”
Gender sensitivity trainings also made a great impression on him. “When there is mutual understanding between the man and the woman in the house and when you actually apply the teachings in your household, it sure brings peace.”
WANT TO GIVE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER TO A VILLAGE?
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12 July 2017 – Some three in ten people around the world lack access to safe and readily available water at home, and almost six in ten to safely managed sanitation, a new United Nations report has warned, calling on countries to do more to fulfil these basic human needs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) joint report, Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2017 Update and Sustainable Development Goal Baselines, many homes, healthcare facilities and schools also lack soap and water for handwashing, putting the health of all people – but especially young children – at risk for deadly diseases.
“Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centres,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, said in a news release, announcing the findings and noting that those living in rural areas are the worst affected.
As a result of lack of these basic services, millions fall ill to diseases – that could, otherwise, have been easily prevented – such as diarrhoea which claims the lives of 361,000 children under the age of five die, every year, noted the UN agencies.
“Safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene are critical to the health of every child and every community – and thus are essential to building stronger, healthier, and more equitable societies,” underscored Anthony Lake, the Executive Director of UNICEF.
‘Significant’ inequalities persist
Good hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid.
However, findings in the report revealed that access to water and soap for handwashing varies immensely in the 70 countries with available data, from 15 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa to 76 per cent in western Asia and northern Africa.
These significant inequalities also put the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 6 on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all at risk.
Backed by the data, the two UN agencies also warned that in as many as 90 countries around the world, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, “meaning they will not reach universal coverage by 2030”.
In addition, hundreds of millions without even ‘basic’ drinking water
According to the report, of the 2.1 billion people who do not have safely managed water, 844 million do not have even a basic drinking water service.
This includes 263 million people who have to spend over 30 minutes per trip collecting water from sources outside the home, and 159 million who still drink untreated water from surface water sources, such as streams or lakes.
Furthermore, of the 4.5 billion people who do not have safely managed sanitation, 2.3 billion still do not have basic sanitation services, including nearly 600 million people who share a toilet or latrine with other households, and 892 million people – mostly in rural areas – who defecate in the open.
Improvements these services, are therefore essential not only for realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and giving the most vulnerable a chance at a better future.
“As we improve these services in the most disadvantaged communities and for the most disadvantaged children today, we give them a fairer chance at a better tomorrow,” said Mr. Lake.
In the same vein, Mr. Ghebreyesus underscored: “These are some of the most basic requirements for human health, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them.”
GAIN PROVIDES SAFE WATER THROUGH DEEP-CAPPED WATER WELLS AS WELL AS OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, IN ALIGNMENT WITH WASH (WATER AND SANITATION HYGIENE), TO FURTHER DEVELOP COMMUNITIES.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW GAIN IS HELPING PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO THIS WATER CRISIS, CLICK HERE.
(Source for Article: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsId=57163)
(Source for Photo: UNICEF/Prashanth Vishwanath)
“Sport draws people together and creates community. It’s really neat how just one single soccer ball and an open field can bring people together. You can have a relationship with someone even though you don’t speak the same language.” – Stephanie McDonald, Benin LIFE Team trip co-leader
When sports are used in conjunction with humanitarian work, great things can happen. In May, GAiN partnered with SportAid, a non-profit organization that uses sport as a tool to help impact disadvantaged communities, to organize a trip to Benin with the Trinity Western University women’s soccer team.
The team of 25 women, plus 12 others (coaches, family members and media), flew to Benin expecting an eye-opening and challenging experience.
On their first full day, the team went on a tour of four different villages, seeing the progression of a village without a well to a village with a full-working deep-capped well. They started with seeing firsthand where villagers had to go to get their water — a swamp situated at the bottom of a hill. The sight of a woman gathering dirty water into a basin really impacted the team, many of whom had never left Canada before this trip, bringing the heartbreaking reality of the water crisis right before their eyes.
In the second village, they got to see the well-drilling team at work and ask them questions; while in the third village, they had the chance to witness the flushing of a well. This is a necessary step in the installation process, where dirty water is sprayed from the well before eventually spraying clean water. The transformation from seeing brown and muddy water to clear water was an inspiring sight for the team.
Lastly, they visited a village with a completed well that was in full use.
Some of the team got to help get water for villagers, using the hand pump and carrying water basins on their heads.
The rest of the trip consisted of soccer games, village chores and construction. The team split up into three groups to build concrete pads for wells and help construct church buildings.
Of course, soccer played a significant role during their time in Benin. The women had a chance to play with the local soccer team (all men), splitting into two mixed teams of women and men, instead of playing against them. Later in the trip, they also played against a local women’s team, further experiencing the power that sport has to break down cultural and language barriers.
“The community speaks the language of soccer even though we have this language barrier,” Brooklyn, one of the team participants, said, recalling a day they played a soccer game outside the house and people gathered around to spectate. “It was so fun to have the community come out and watch us play [even though] they didn’t know us and we couldn’t speak to them.”
It was the relationships that they made with village children that really stuck with the team, McDonald observed.
“A highlight with a lot of the women was playing with different kids in the villages and getting to use something that a good portion of their lives is consumed with. Playing soccer can be used to engage and show love to people.”
“It was amazing to see how these kids get such joy out of having a soccer ball,” expressed Brooklyn. “[Something] that brought sheer joy to me was that whenever we brought out a ball, even though there was a language barrier the kids instantly knew we were just playing soccer. [They] split up into two teams.”
The slowed down culture of Africa and the meaningful relationships they made during their short trip inspired the team to be more present in their everyday lives when they returned home.
“They want to make the relationships here, back in Canada, more meaningful through touch and face-to-face,” McDonald explained. “Quite a few women had told me [they] were challenged to bring that aspect back home.”
Abandoning all other activities, Elizabeth left her village of Loukintowin to search for water. Her only chance of finding water was the nearby village five kilometers away.
“Water is life. Whatever activity we might do, we cannot do it without water.”
This treacherous journey cost villagers a lot. A loss of income for farmers as they couldn’t work on their farms. A loss of an education as children often missed school. A loss of quality time spent with their families as the mothers were away for long hours.
It even had the potential to cost someone their life. Mokpa, the nearby village, would not allow Elizabeth to fill her jerry can until their own villagers were finished filling their pails. At times, this meant that Elizabeth spent the whole night waiting and returning home in the dark at 2 am, risking her safety on her commute.
But we shared an opportunity with Elizabeth and others that would bring an end to this harsh reality.
Four deep-capped water wells were provided to the Logozohe district in Benin, which included Elizabeth’s village.
Justice was brought to their water crisis. Clean and safe water was now accessible in each of their villages. “These water wells brought a lot of welfare and life to our community! Now we are in good health,” share villagers.
Today, Elizabeth is the president of the district’s women’s group.
“Now it is possible for us to do our own activities and make a living,” comments Elizabeth. “I have a business and sell things like cassava flour and charcoal.”
Through a partnership with the JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy, 400 villagers also had the opportunity to hear about the Living Water for the first time. As a result, 122 people made a decision to follow Jesus, and 45 people are now being discipled.
“The local church has been hugely impacted,” states Elizabeth. “As a result of the wells, we’ve been able to share God’s love to many people in their households. That’s why anytime I go to the water well, I praise God for providing for our needs.”
Elizabeth’s journey for clean water is not uncommon. Even in her excitement, she shares the pain of knowing that a nearby village has no safe water for their hospital. And how a river used as a water source for several villages has now run dry.
There’s still a desperate need and so much is lost in the pursuit of water, which quite often isn’t even safe water to use. In fact, according to the World Health Organization,1 the time spent gathering water around the world translates to $24 billion in lost economic benefits each year. Imagine the cost; yet imagine the opportunity!
All of this can change!
You can help give back what villagers have lost.
Your involvement is vital for the survival and wellbeing of people like Elizabeth to gain access to safe water for the first time. For every US$1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of US$4 by keeping people healthy and productive.2
A deep-capped water well costs $8,500 to provide and supports an average of 1,000 people. Your gift of $85, $170, or $425 provides safe water and the Living Water to villagers currently living without it; not to mention it removes the terrible cost people and their communities experience.
WOULD YOU MAKE A DONATION TODAY TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE ELIZABETH?
P.S. There are still 663 million individuals suffering from unsafe water sources.1 You can help end the cycle of devastation and death that parasite-ridden water has caused for generations.
1 Source: UNICEF.org and WHO.int
2 Source: WHO