The people of St. Andrew's understand that we have been given the gift of resources that need to be shared and that there are others who can use those resources to respond to a need in the wider community.
Life in Nigeria can be challenging - average life expectancy is just 47 years, 1-in-5 children die before their 5th birthday. Over half of the 130 million Nigerians live in rural villages where access to basic services such as education and health care are scarce. For most residents in these villages the only access to water is from a stagnant puddle, river or drainage culvert. The amount of surface water available varies from season to season and many villagers have to trek miles o collect it; a task which normally is the responsibility of women and girls.
The congregation of St. Marys United Church, in St. Marys, Ontario, listened to the challenge of five of its members, and wondered how they could help. Trixie and Andy Middleton and their 3 children lived in Ibadan, a large metropolis north of the Nigerian capital, Lagos, for over 10 years. They made frequent trips into the rural areas and witnessed first hand the daily struggles people suffered to obtain enough water for their basic needs.
The surface water available is often of very poor quality resulting in water borne diseases, making lives miserable and restricting people’s ability to be productive. If these diseases are not correctly treated - or if the medication required is not available - then an early and painful death is often the result.
In 1997 when Trixie and Andrew came to Canada they wanted to somehow help the people of Nigeria whom they had come to love. A project was started by Andrew at St. Marys United Church aimed at raising enough funds to build a basic well in a rural village. The project quickly surpassed its target and due to the interest of many other churches, schools, individuals and service clubs, the project evolved into an organization called Wells4Africa that over the past 8 years has built wells in over 120 communities in and around the city of Ibadan.
There are many villages still without safer water sources - and it often feels like an uphill task - but every well that a community has built has brought joy to the village residents and has made a major positive impact in their health and lives. We have become part of that joy by sharing our financial resources with the communities.
The Outreach Division of St. Andrew's United Church has decided to take up the invitation, and hope to share what God has given to us with communities that are building safer drinking water wells. Our minister, Richard Bott, has worked with Andrew and Trixie, and supports the project and how the work is done. The people in the communities know how to build wells that are effective in their part of the world - we just make sure they have the tools and materials to get the job done.
100% of the funds donated go towards building wells - all of the administrative costs are borne by the Middleton family, as their commitment to this ministry. Currently wells cost approximately US$ 1200 ($1350 Canadian).
Donors who donate enough funds to build one well are recognized on the plaque placed on the side of the well that they built.</p><p>If you would like to support this project, donations can be made through St. Andrew's United Church - just make sure you mark the donation as "Nigerian Wells Project". As this is an outreach of our ministry, we will gather funds here and send them on to the Middletons, who are preparing for the next round of well building.
For more information, contact the church office.
