BUILDING SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS

Originally begun to provide clean water to those who did not have access to it, the Bishop’s Well expanded to be a Well of Resources to make positive differences in people’s lives in many areas, not just with water. In addition to water wells and equipment to bottle and sell water, we have pursued projects to build radio stations, process mango juice for sale, and many other projects.

Years of working in developing countries has shown that only providing grants for aid can actually turn out to be destructive rather than helpful. One of the great problems is the development of dependency that requires recurring aid support year after year. In addition, all over the world there are projects that have been abandoned because of a lack of maintenance or skills to operate equipment.

One of the factors that has contributed to that is that so many people live in extreme poverty and are struggling every day just to survive. People who live close to the survival line usually do not have the energy for envisioning and dreaming for new projects, nor do they have a paradigm to address issues like maintenance or depreciation. Sometimes, tragically, farmers even need to feed their seed corn to their families. That means that not only is the next harvest eliminated, but the potential for future harvest is compromised.

Ekklesia is combating this with a strategy to provide training to help people to have long term vision and develop a mindset of planning for the future. While we are dependent on the Lord and never completely self-sufficient, we can learn ways to design and operate projects in a way that is economically sustainable. While it isn't our main focus, we will do aid projects in special circumstances.

Woven into the training, has to be prayer ministry and spiritual warfare to tear down the influence of strongholds that exist in the way people live and think. It is wonderful when the Lord reveals His truth to people so that they become truly free. It is exactly what Jesus promised, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!”

DRILLING WELLS IN THE SOLOLO REGION OF KENYA

Bishops Well is a resource to provide clean water to people in Africa by drilling wells, installing equipment to purify and bottle water to drink. The most urgent need is the task of building 5 wells in the Sololo region of Kenya where people are literally dying from lack of clean water.

A drilling rig has been donated by Water for the World to The Angilcan Church of Kenya and Ekklesia. The drilling rig will be used to dig “bore holes” up to 200m deep to reach clean water. The operating costs and materiels run around $25,000 per well.