Delving Beneath the Surface: How Deep Drilling for Clean Water is Rewriting the Narrative of Health and Opportunity in East Sumba.
Join us in exploring the transformative journey of a community uplifted by Fair Future’s relentless efforts to provide clean water through deep drilling in East Sumba.
Water is La vie, that’s the incontestable reality here in Est de Sumbawá. In this part of the world, it’s not a cliché; it’s a fact, as unyielding as the hard, parched soil we stand on. Today, we delve into one specific project near the small town of Lewa that fundamentally transforms a whole community—more than 2,000 people now have access to clean water and sanitary facilities, thanks to a drilling project undertaken by Un avenir juste, en collaboration avec Amis proches and the local beneficiaries.
Nos drilling rig punctuates the horizon, contrasting sharply with the simple, wooden homes and the vast, untamed landscapes of East Sumba. The machinery groans, vibrating through the earth to a depth of just over 60 meters. C’est un labor-intensive, resource-heavy endeavor. Drilling deep into the earth’s layers isn’t just technically challenging; it’s also emotionally draining. This is no fairy tale; the work is grueling, the sun relentless, and the stakes immeasurably high.
The reward? Eau, gushing forth from underground, tapped and channelled through more than 6,000 meters of HDPE PVC pipes, collected in about 15 storage tanks, chacun d'une capacité de 6,500 liters. It’s water for drinking, cooking, and bathing; it’s eau for life, for dignity, for a future.
The story unfolds further in a suite of new sanitary installations, the first of their kind in this village. Built alongside the water supply, these facilities now offer basic sanitation—something many in the developed world take for granted. You can see the transformation in the faces of the villagers; children less plagued by gastrointestinal diseases, gardens are beginning to flourish, and improved nutrition. Women no longer trek long hours to fetch water, freeing them for other crucial tasks like childcare and education.
It’s not just the Qualité de vie that’s transforming; it’s life itself. Eau propre radically diminishes the incidence of water-borne and parasitic diseases such as maladie de malaria. You see, maladie de malaria isn’t just about mosquitoes; it’s intricately connected to eau, or the lack thereof. Stagnant pools are breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Proper sanitation and Eau propre disrupt this vicious cycle, breaking the chain of transmission, saving lives in the process.
The change is palpable, but let’s not forget: none of this would be possible without the Effort collectif of everyone involved—Fair Future, Kawan Baik, the local authorities, and of course, you, our supporters and donors. Yet, it’s essential to remember that the fight is far from over. This project is a chapter in an ongoing saga, a story of struggle and resilience against the odds, parce que clean water is a right, not a privilege.
In a collection of 60 original photos taken by our Équipe Fair Futures, we capture the essence of this monumental endeavour—the sweat, the toil, and the ultimate reward: eau. These images aren’t just snapshots; they are testament to the will of a community to better itself and a tribute to the laborious work carried out by every hand that turned a drill, laid a pipe, or built a tank.
So here’s a challenge to you, dear reader: as you view these images and read these words, consider what nettoyer eau means to you, and what life would be without it. Let that guide you in your commitment to action, because as we know all too well, action is the lifeblood of change.
No, this isn’t a fairy tale, but it’s a story that needed to be told—directly, assertively, and without embellishment. We are here in the trenches, laying the foundation for tomorrow, for as long as it takes to see a world where access to Eau propre is not a lottery of geography, but a guarantee for all.
We invite you to be part of this story, to contribute to this ongoing narrative, because every drop of eau counts, but every drop of support counts even more. Together, we write the next chapter. Together, we give water, we give life.
Nous invitons chaleureusement tous ceux qui sont captivés par cette histoire à découvrir la nôtre. Galerie photo, témoignez de cette extraordinaire initiative et engagez-vous davantage dans notre mission en participant à nos activités. Compte Instagram.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation Camp médico-social Dans l’Est de Sumbawa – La maison de Kambera, Lambanapu – Le October 26th, 2023.
