What is Lifewater's community development strategy?
How is a Lifewater project funded?
Are financial gifts to Lifewater tax-deductible?
What is the process for becoming a Lifewater volunteer Field Trainer who serves on overseas projects?

Is Lifewater affiliated with a church?
Does Lifewater focus on community development or on Christian witness?
How does Lifewater share Christ’s love through our work?
What kind of drilling equipment does Lifewater use?
What are the limitations of the LS-200 drill rig?




What is Lifewater's community development strategy?
Lifewater helps people help themselves. We work only where invited, placing a high emphasis on community initiative. In doing so, we work with nationals that are dedicated to helping their communities long-term. Lifewater’s Village Well Strategy focuses on training nationals to drill shallow water wells while involving the community in the process. Lifewater sends qualified North American volunteers overseas to work side-by-side with national crews for a few weeks at a time. The national crews usually learn to use mud-rotary drilling equipment to drill shallow water wells. Environmental conditions and people’s needs in each area determine which water development technologies are most appropriate.

National drill crews also learn to involve the local community through the formation of a Village Water Committee. This committee actively participates in the selection of the well site, helps organize the community’s contribution toward well construction, and finally oversees the maintenance of the well once complete. Commitment and oversight by the Village Water Committee is critical to the sustainability of the water supply. Lifewater supports ongoing trainings and equipment for its overseas partners; some crews have been working for over 15 years. Once the crew is trained, we donate the drilling equipment and the crew continues drilling water wells throughout the region where needed. A typical village well with a hand pump serves approximately 300-500 people.

Lifewater’s participatory hygiene and sanitation programs promote an understanding of disease transmission, life-saving hygiene behavior, and proper waste disposal. The participatory training technique helps people identify their own problems and come up with solutions that work within their culture and available resources. Women’s groups, school children, and village leaders are grateful for this preventative teaching on topics of dehydration as related to diarrhea, the importance of hand washing, and using latrines. Villagers are empowered by this knowledge and as a result, use their new clean water supply to fight disease more effectively.



How is a Lifewater project funded?
Lifewater is not a funding organization outside of our existing, authorized projects. Rather, we provide technical training in water development, hygiene and sanitation to national groups that request our help. We train and assist in the planning, construction, and maintenance of improved drinking water supplies through shallow well drilling, hand pump repair, BioSand Filtration, hygiene and sanitation education.  Funds required for these projects are obtained primarily from individuals, churches, foundations, corporations, and supporters of national organizations.

Are financial gifts to Lifewater tax-deductible?
Lifewater is a charitable, non-profit organization. Your personal tax situation determines whether or not such gifts are tax-deductible. Lifewater was granted tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) corporation by the Internal Revenue Service in February 1986 (ID number 95-3987142). We are able to accept gifts of cash, securities, or other items of value such as gifts-in-kind.
Click here to make an online gift.


What is the process for becoming a Lifewater volunteer Field Trainer who serves on overseas training trips?

Please click here to learn more about the process.

Is Lifewater affiliated with a church?
Lifewater is an independent Christian organization. We are not affiliated with any particular church. Both our volunteers and our staff reflect a wide range of Christian traditions. We are unified by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and by our desire to make Him known to people as we meet their basic need for safe water, hygiene, and sanitation.



Does Lifewater focus on community development or on Christian witness?
We feel that both are necessary in sharing the message of Jesus Christ. Lifewater’s programs are designed to be a visible form of God’s grace in the world. We seek to integrate spiritual and physical principles throughout our trainings, demonstrating Jesus’ love in word and deed. As one African Church leader put it, "If you want to preach only to our souls, go to the place of the dead. That is the only place where body and soul are separate. Here on earth to reach my soul, you cannot neglect my body."

Each water development project provides numerous opportunities to minister to peoples’ needs. Whenever a Lifewater crew sets up a drill rig or begins repairing a village water well, people are motivated to ask, “Why are you doing this for us?” This opens the door to share about the transformational power of Jesus’ love. Several national Lifewater crews have been instrumental in establishing new churches in conjunction with their well drilling programs.



How does Lifewater share Christ’s love through our work?
Lifewater’s North American volunteers are generally more skilled in water development than they are in foreign languages and cross-cultural sharing. Therefore, we try to work closely overseas with an established national church or Christian organizations. We give trained ministers the tools and training in the form of water development so they can express genuine Christian love in word and deed in their work. The volunteers traveling overseas also arrive prepared to give an account for the hope that is within. It is our joy to assist national Christians overseas as they serve their neighbors of all creeds and cultures around the world.

What kind of drilling equipment does Lifewater use?
Lifewater affiliates have designed a small, mud-rotary drilling machine that is ideally suited for training people who have no prior experience with well drilling. It is called the LS-200 and is manufactured and sold by Lonestar Bit Inc. of Houston, Texas. The rig is shipped in a sturdy rectangular wood crate with dimensions of 7’x2.5’x3’. The complete package of tools and associated equipment weighs approximately 1100 pounds, and includes 200 feet of drill pipe. The rig can be disassembled into smaller pieces, the largest weighing 65 pounds (30 k), making it feasible to carry into remote locations. Cost for these rigs including shipping, handling, and customs ranges from $16,000 to $26,000, depending on the project location.



What are the limitations of the LS-200 drill rig?
The LS-200 is powered by a small gasoline or diesel engine. Drill pipe is lowered and raised by a hand-operated winch. A mud pump circulates drilling fluid. These features limit the LS-200 to drilling no deeper than 200 feet in relatively soft formations. The standard LS-200 cannot drill through hard rock, cobbles or large gravel, but improvements are being made. With proper maintenance, the rig is capable of drilling approximately 70 wells. It is an efficient, low-cost training machine that can provide a significant benefit to rural villagers.