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CPA Drilling Wells in Burkina Faso
(That’s in Western Africa!)
In the two weeks just before Christmas, while many of you would have
been putting on hats and gloves, myself and another member of CPA, Keith
Forsythe were putting on hats and gloves for very different reasons – to drill
wells in the 40 degree heat of Burkina Faso. Keith had made several previous
trips and this was my debut.
We worked as part of a team with Friends in Action, who during the dry
season, when no rain falls (October to April) travel almost continuously from
village to village, arriving in an impressive convoy, led by a distinctive orange
drill rig lorry. This is one of the poorest countries in the world, where many
people have nothing and survival is eking the land, yet the friendliness and
hospitality of the people is fantastic.
16 million people with 60 distinct ethnic groups, a relic of the French colonial
empire where Christians and Muslims can mostly live together happily, not
yet influenced by the Jihadi incursions in the North of the country. The capital
Ouagadougou (pronounced Waga-doo-goo) is still recovering from the
impact of an Al- Queda attack at a Western hotel last year. Christians are
vulnerable as they gather on Sundays to worship and armed guards patrol
the grounds. The country is prone to drought and famine and only large
towns have reservoirs. We headed out West near Koudougou, to arrive in the
blackness and quietness of the African bush with a friendly scorpion below us
and the milky way set out in splendour above.
After setting up camp, the quietness was punctuated throughout the night
by Guinea Fowl, donkeys and calls to prayer. Bathrooms were of the outdoor
variety, with a shovel supplied. It was a real blessing to meet the people
of the villages and see the delight on their faces as we arrived, and the
excitement as they watched us drill. We link in with a church in each village
where we drill, so that they can use the availability of clean water for all as
witness and practical ministry to all in the surrounding area. Clean water is
more precious than gold in this area, bringing new hope, symbolised by the
arrival of butterflies when they smell the water.
Drilling in heat is hard work – all maintenance here is performed by the
team so we need to bring our own food and water. We encountered some
setbacks but the spirit of perseverance of the team was a lesson that I took
away from the trip.
In one village we worked in thick mud for days on end, sharing the area with
pigs who loved every minute of it. A hammer fell down a well in one village,
we simply moved several yards and started over again – ‘Never Give Up’ took
on a new meaning. With the modern world stripped away; TV, Internet and
By Tim Flanigan