Checkpoint | Spring 2017

CPA Drilling Wells in Burkina Faso (That’s in Western Africa!) By Tim Flanigan

In the two weeks just before Christmas, while many of you would have been putting on hats and gloves, myself and another member of CPA, Keith Forsythe were putting on hats and gloves for very different reasons – to drill wells in the 40 degree heat of Burkina Faso. Keith had made several previous trips and this was my debut. We worked as part of a team with Friends in Action, who during the dry season, when no rain falls (October to April) travel almost continuously from village to village, arriving in an impressive convoy, led by a distinctive orange drill rig lorry. This is one of the poorest countries in the world, where many people have nothing and survival is eking the land, yet the friendliness and hospitality of the people is fantastic. 16 million people with 60 distinct ethnic groups, a relic of the French colonial empire where Christians and Muslims can mostly live together happily, not yet influenced by the Jihadi incursions in the North of the country. The capital Ouagadougou (pronounced Waga-doo-goo) is still recovering from the impact of an Al- Queda attack at a Western hotel last year. Christians are vulnerable as they gather on Sundays to worship and armed guards patrol the grounds. The country is prone to drought and famine and only large towns have reservoirs. We headed out West near Koudougou, to arrive in the blackness and quietness of the African bush with a friendly scorpion below us and the milky way set out in splendour above. After setting up camp, the quietness was punctuated throughout the night by Guinea Fowl, donkeys and calls to prayer. Bathrooms were of the outdoor variety, with a shovel supplied. It was a real blessing to meet the people of the villages and see the delight on their faces as we arrived, and the excitement as they watched us drill. We link in with a church in each village where we drill, so that they can use the availability of clean water for all as witness and practical ministry to all in the surrounding area. Clean water is more precious than gold in this area, bringing new hope, symbolised by the arrival of butterflies when they smell the water. Drilling in heat is hard work – all maintenance here is performed by the team so we need to bring our own food and water. We encountered some setbacks but the spirit of perseverance of the team was a lesson that I took away from the trip. In one village we worked in thick mud for days on end, sharing the area with pigs who loved every minute of it. A hammer fell down a well in one village, we simply moved several yards and started over again – ‘Never Give Up’ took on a new meaning. With the modern world stripped away; TV, Internet and

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