Our team at the drilling site of Phase 3 of the Laindatang Water Connection Project in East Sumba demonstrates remarkable courage, determination and perseverance. Despite challenges, our efforts have led to discovering an abundant water source. This milestone reflects our dedication to providing clean water to one of the driest regions on the planet, transforming optimism into tangible results.
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Courage and Determination at the Drilling Site of the Laindatang Water Connection Project
Our work at the drilling site of Phase 3 of the Laindatang Water Connections Project in East Sumba exemplifies courage, determination, and perseverance in the face of formidable obstacles. We started this project on February 6, 2024. Despite many challenges, we continue our drilling operations and remain optimistic about achieving positive results.
We felt overwhelmed by despair a few weeks ago, facing days when defeat seemed inevitable. The undertaking related to this drilling is incredibly delicate on physical, moral, and psychological levels. From moving our 7+ ton drill rig in three failed attempts to drilling over a hundred meters deep for each borehole while dealing with cave-ins and landslides in the 8-inch wells and discovering rock cracks that caused problems known as “water loss,” tears and pain have been part of this journey. As the saying goes, hardship makes you stronger.
“At Laindatang, our unwavering courage and determination made the impossible a reality, bringing clean, life-saving water to those who need it most here…” — Alex Wettstein, CEO and Founder of Fair Future Foundation.
After the tears came the laughter and smiles. For over two weeks, this major project—lost in the middle of almost nowhere—the drilling activity of Laindatang Water Connection Phase 3 has yielded significant and encouraging results.
Indeed, we have finally found a sufficiently abundant source of clean water at more than 80 meters deep, transforming our vision into a reality shared by all the village’s inhabitants. Joy, absolute happiness, and massive relief have filled us. Today, thousands of litres of clean and uncontaminated water are pumped daily without interruption thanks to our temporary generator. We are happy and relieved, praying that these weeks of testing will be as conclusive as possible.
It feels like a triumph for us, friends. One must imagine the satisfaction of having succeeded in drilling in one of the driest areas on the planet without any means of road transport. We even built road access of over six kilometres with our bare hands to reach this drilling site. Our success is an undeniable testimony to perseverance and unwavering determination, especially when everything seemed impossible along the way.
Our attention now turns to acquiring the pumps and solar systems essential for extracting and distributing water through our newly established infrastructure. We count on your support, dear friends, to help us secure the funds for this vital machinery. Let’s make it happen!
With your help, we are on the verge of achieving what was once considered unattainable. As a team, we constantly transform optimism into practical measures and are determined not to give up until every person in need can easily access water.
Note: We are excited to share a link to four documents on the Water Connections Laindatang Phase 2 project, addressing malnutrition and infectious diseases. Sharing this report is vital as we continue to develop these projects.
Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – The 27th of July 2024.