Benin 2010 Update
February 2010
Dennis Fierbach, Water for Life Initiative (WFLI) Director, and Eric Britton, Project Manager for Water for Life Initiative, went to Benin and inspected the equipment of GAiN’s new partner – Mercy Ships, a non-governmental ship-based medical organization.
“While this rig requires some training,” states Britton, “we are so thankful for this additional rig as it now adds more capacity to the WFLI, resulting in a third rig drilling disease-free wells in Benin.”
During this time, Dennis and Eric also visited a few villages that had clean water from previous wells that GAiN drilled. In the Atchonsa village, they met a nurse named Gilles. While talking with him they stood outside Gilles’ medical clinic, which was located across from the water well that GAiN drilled in June 14, 2009. He shared about Ulcerdaybrillia, which is a water-borne parasite much like leprosy, and is extremely common in southern Benin.
Most often, people don’t experience pain as it kills the nerves and eats the person literally alive. There are no drugs, no antibiotics for this. Only surgery removes it. Yet, even though the surgeries are fairly inexpensive, people have no money to get medical attention. It is one of the most neglected but highly treatable diseases. Ironically, it is also one of the most preventable diseases. All that is required – clean water! Once a disease-free well is provided, this disease can no longer be contracted.
Gilles shared how this awful disease has been stopped in this village by GAiN, along with diarrhea and cholera, which were all directly related to the village’s previous bad water sources.
With approximately 3,250 people living directly in the village and many more surrounding the village, this clean water proved to be extremely essential to the lives of many individuals.
Today, GAiN has drilled 160 wells in Benin, providing disease-free water to approximately 160,000.
