Sometimes it’s scary to ask for help. The bigger the ask, the scarier it is. But, it’s often in our most vulnerable moments that we are able to see God work.
So here we go.

On my last trip to Zambia, we were able to spend a full week with our partner on the ground, Seeds of Hope. Seeds of Hope has an amazing staff of local Zambians that are truly becoming the heroes of their own communities. Seeds of Hope gives the locals the unique and empowering opportunity to serve in the community in which they live. They aren’t outsiders coming in to demand change, but they are friends and neighbors who are lifting those up around them to provide clean water and a future for thousands. Blood:Water partners with Seeds of Hope to support them in this effort.

As our trip was winding down, I asked Seeds of Hope Executive Director Sam Phiri if there was anything particular that would grow the organization to have an even bigger impact in the community. After some hesitation, he said that there was.

Seeds of Hope is currently able to drill most all boreholes that are needed to access water beneath the ground that is pumped to the surface for community use. Boreholes reach water deep beneath the surface of the ground, away from contaminants, making the water safe to drink. However, some of Seeds of Hope’s equipment is aging and some are just not able to drill as deep as needed to access water. This is a problem because it limits the work they are able to do. It is also a problem because if they are forced to find another driller in the area to drill for them, it becomes increasingly expensive and can prohibit wells being drilled.

I asked Sam how we could solve this problem. He shared with me that they needed a new drill rig to continue to serve our friends in Africa. And the reason he originally hesitated when I asked him what they needed is because a drill rig is very expensive. The drill rig they need in order to keep up with the demand for water is approximately $250,000. I told Sam that while this was expensive, I would take his request to Blood:Water donors. We pray either a donor or group of donors would be led to provide this amazing resource for Seeds of Hope to bring clean water to hundreds of thousands of more people in Zambia.

If this is project that you feel you can help with, please contact Jake Smith today by emailing jsmith@bloodwater.org or by calling 615.550.4296.