Living Water International

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Living Water International
Image:Lwi_logo_lores.jpg
Type Non-Governmental Organization, Faith-based
Focus Empowering community growth through water, sanitation and hygiene education
Website www.water.cc

Living Water International (LWI) is a faith-based non-profit organization that helps communities in developing countries acquire safe drinking water.[1] [2] It is based in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1991 and currently operates in 26 countries. The organization has drilled more than 4,500 wells that serve an estimated 7.5 million people.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

The organization's founder, Harry Lee Westmoreland Jr., worked in the seismic drilling industry. He first saw how important clean water was in 1989 when he visited a missionary who was having difficulty drilling a water well in Peru. In 1989 he invented a portable rig called the LS 100 that could be transported in the back of a pickup truck. The LS 100 can drill 100 feet through soft formations.[2]

[edit] Operations

Westmoreland increased the LS 100 rig's drilling capacity in order to sink holes 200 and 300 feet through soft formations. LWI uses larger traditional rigs to drill through rock formations.[2] The countries LWI operates in include El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Panama and Peru.[4]

LWI's operations in Kenya have drilled boreholes and rehabilitated water systems. It received funding from the US government's Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) agency which helped it to acquire extra drilling equipment for its Kenyan operations.[1] OPIC provided LWI with a $200,000 loan than enabled it to drill approximately 150 wells in Kenya in 2001, and a $500,000 loan in 2006. OPIC gave LWI a $100,000 dollar loan to in 2002 that was used to drill more than 200 wells in Ghana.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Moore, Mike, 2003, A World Without Walls: Freedom, Development, Free Trade and Global Governance, Cambridge University Press, p. 81, ISBN 0521827019.
  2. ^ a b c Horswell, Cindy, 2007-02-18, Clean water was driller's passion, Houston Chronicle.
  3. ^ Conference on Public-Private Partnerships and Economic Development, White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, 2008-03-31
  4. ^ LWI provides clean cups of water, National Driller, 2002-02-01.
  5. ^ Corey, Charles W., 2006-03-09, OPIC Funds Help Supply Kenyans with Potable Water, US Department of State.

[edit] External links

Water Portal