Mary is a proud member of the Olean Rotary Club where she and her husband Carl Vahl, Esq. are currently raising funds and traveling to Niger, Africa to drill water wells in outlying villages. "It is fullfilling and humbling work and we are so much richer for having this opportunity to serve."

They came running toward us, cautious but curious. Children first, then the mothers, then the men. Not sure who we were yet they knew why we came. Two very white people wearing hats and strong sun block, in a growing sea of very black children, wearing tattered hand me down cloths, women adorned in brightly colored fabric and men in flowing robes. The eight man drilling team arrived the day before and began work first thing in the morning. We came to observe these men work in 100 plus degree heat, hoping to watch them liberate the essence of life, long hidden, yet just beneath the surface in this area of the sub Saharan desert. Water.

Millennia earlier this part of Africa was an ocean which later transformed into a magnificent garden of life. All forms of life, plant, animal and mankind thrived here once only to be beaten back and scattered as the changing fortunes of time took their toll on this former bread basket. Most life left willingly rather than perish as the temperature increased, slowly but surely and the vast Saharan sands grew, continuing their unrelenting journey south.

Not everyone or everything gave up on this inhospitable place. A few held fast despite the suffering they endured, eking out a minimal existence, perhaps hopeful that better times would return. Better times for most did not return until now...

Hand auger and percussion drilled water wells are not new to West Africa. Both methods have been in existence for more than 30 years in Niger and they were popular in the America’s and Europe before the onset of mechanical, machinery driven drilling methods. Because the water table in many parts of Niger is close to the surface using these low tech drilling methods which rely on human power rather than machinery is ideal. The basic concept of a hand drilled well is keeping it “low tech” so that the villagers can be trained to manage, maintain and repair the well and pump when necessary. The cost is approximately $2,000.00 per well.

In Niger a source of potable water means a healthier and more productive life for the entire village. Children who would otherwise spend their days walking kilometers in the desert heat to obtain polluted drinking water have the opportunity to attend school, provided a school exists nearby, which isn’t always the case. Children and adults with access to fresh water can overcome chronic diarrhea, and numerous other illnesses and conditions caused by poor quality water. Healthier people can work harder and produce more food and live substantially better lives, which is the ultimate goal of the project.

Carl and Mary plan to return to Niger in about a year. With a little luck and the help of fellow Rotarians, colleagues, friends and family this time they hope to raise funds for and inspect 15 to 20 new wells in operation and bring a team of 8-10 interested people to experience Niger as they have been privileged to do. “We intend to bring the message home to our Rotary district as well as our colleagues, friends and family that a mere $2000.00 makes quality water available to many people resulting in a substantially better life for these villagers".

These simple wells do not westernize nor hardly modernize these villages and the culture they represent. Rather they bring very simple but needed improvements in the quality of daily life. Children’s health improves because of clean, abundant water. Rather than spending their days trudging to and from a distant and polluted water source, often shared with live stock and parasites, fortunate children have an opportunity to attend school which gives them and their families hope for a healthy and secure life.

Please contact Mary if you are interested in participating in this wonderful project!

maryvahl@msn.com or 716 378-2931