FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common questions asked and answered.

How much does a hand dug well cost to build?
Where are the wells built?
Who chooses which village gets a well?
How much of my money goes towards the building of wells?
Do individual villages receive the money?
Are there any pastoral or evangelical activities involved?
How do I know if the wells are built?
How many people benefit from each well?
Who looks after the wells?
Why Hand Dug Wells (HDW)?
What do the villagers provide?
What else is done in the area regarding Water Management?
What is the quality of water like?
Is there follow-up on water quality?
How long does a well last?
What if no water is found?
Do the families pay to use the well?
Can people outside of the village use the well?

How much does a hand dug well cost to build?
A well costs aproximately $6,000 Australian Dollars or about USD $4,500. This amount also includes all hydro-geographical costs and all education matters (HIV and AIDS, family planning, book keeping and maintenance skills).

Where are the wells built?

In the rural and remote villages of northern Tigray Province in Ethiopia.

Who chooses which village gets a well?
WellWishers has set a village criteria of at least 400 people to a well (although we target 500 wherever possible), with a current return walking distance to collect water of two and a half hours excluding waiting time (rarely less that 30 minutes). Our Ethiopian partner NGO (Non-Government Organization) REST [Relief Society of Tigray] conducts village research and evaluation plus hydro-geological surveys. The final selection is done in conjunction with the village.

How much of my money goes towards the building of wells?
WellWishers pledge that about 95% of donations are sent to Ethiopia and that all the money is used for the geological surveys, site selection, village evaluation, design and construction, monitoring and health and education aspects of the HDW (hand dug wells) programme.

Do individual villages receive the money?
No – there is no payment to any village or villager.

Are there any pastoral or evangelical activities involved?
No there are not. WellWishers and Christian World Service have signed a MOU (Memo of Understanding) precluding such activities. Christian World Service’s role is to facilitate tax deductibility and to bi-annually visit Tigray for additional project monitoring reviews. Both Wellswishers and Christian World Service have big respect for the people’s culture and religious beliefs, without any interference.

How do I know if the wells are built?
WellWishers receive detailed reports from REST on site location, village populations and follow-up monitoring, plus inspection reports from an independent NGO that has been working in Ethiopia for more than 30 years.

How many people benefit from each well?
Approximately 400 to 650 people benefit from each well, although this number can increase if the villagers allow nearby villages to use it, such is their generosity.

Who looks after the wells?
The villagers themselves form a Water and Sanitation Committee, (WATSAN) [equal ratio of Men and women]. They are then given instruction in maintenance and bookkeeping. They are supplied with initial spare parts and an accounts book. The Committee appoints a caretaker who unlocks the well [usually early morning and late afternoon – to control, water usage). The Villagers also construct a stone wall surround to keep out animals and an overflow drain that is usually directed towards irrigating gardens.

Why Hand Dug Wells (HDW)?
These wells have been built for over 20 years now and have proven the most effective way of providing water to this area. The wells are capped and fitted with a hand operated pump. If at any time there is a blockage or break down, the cap can be removed from the top of the well and buckets can be used thus ensuring the continuation of clean water supply. The pump unit is simple to maintain and easy for a child to use. Many thousands of these pumps are used world-wide.

What do the villagers provide?
The villagers provide storage facilities, labour, stone and sand during construction plus construct a stone surrounding wall to keep out livestock. The WATSAN committee then carry out all maintenance work. They maintain account books for collection of money from those families using the well. From these funds, they buy replacement parts when required and they employ their own caretaker.

What else is done in the area regarding Water Management?
REST has instigated an integrated programme of tree planting, using local labour [to stop erosion], terracing [using local stone and labour] to harvest water and slow down water flows thus reducing erosion. Check Dams are built in gullies to extent the crop season, to provide water for livestock and to replenish ground water supplies. Micro and Macro dams, along with irrigation channels are also constructed Major buildings such as schools and health clinics are being fitted with gutters and rain water tanks.

What is the quality of water like?
Tests are carried out regularly to check on water quality and to date all water from HDWs adhere to WHO (World Health Organisation) standards.

Is there follow-up on water quality?
The Water Conservation Department of each Woreda [administrative district] has Annual Water Testing carried out. Also if there is any doubt in the minds of the WATSON Committee, they will request water test from the Woreda.

How long does a well last?
The theoretical life of a HDW is 15 years. Many wells have now been in operation for longer than that, due mainly to good management by the Water Sanitation Committee [WATSAN]. Out of the about 2,500 built to date, it is believed very few have gone dry and that is mainly due to over usage.

What if no water is found?
Yes, this can occur but is usually less than 5% of the time. In these cases, further survey work will be done to place a well in another position that unfortunately may be some distance from the village.

Do the families pay to use the well?
The decision to pay is up to the individual villages. However most villages with HDWs charge each family a small amount per month for use of the well. It is usually about 30 cents per month. The money is collected by WATSAN and used for spare parts as well as employing the caretaker. Some villages have begun small Micro Credit Schemes with the surplus money.

Can people outside of the village use the well?
Most villages allow outsider to use the well under special circumstances. If the well was to be used by more than the population of the village, it would mean that water tables would be over utilised and this would cause problems for future water supplies. Therefore strict hours of operation are enforced. However circumstances such as ill health and use of medication by those outside of the village are considered special circumstances and those requiring clean water will be granted it.

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