To bring clean, safe drinking water to rural villages and communities in India.
Wells for Life® exists to provide safe water for people in need in order to create a lasting impact for generations to come.
Our Cost
The cost to bring life through water to an entire village or community is less than $5 per person. The average cost for a hand pump bore well benefiting a village is $2,000.
My aim is to be the best steward as possible with every donation received no matter how large or small. Around 95% of all donations received are used for program related expenses. There are no salaried employees, no expensive buildings, equipment or leases to pay; just a lot of deserving Indians who make less than $2/day needing clean water.
The simple truth is the more money we can bring in through your donations, the more lives we can impact.
One afternoon at a Samaritan well, Jesus taught an outcast that while drinking water can be refreshing, only “living water” brings eternal life.
Our Method
There is no preferential treatment concerning our projects. Wells for Life® is the result of God speaking directly to me and calling me to help the rural poor by bringing water. Ever since that call in 2001 I have worked towards bringing water to as many villages as possible and as of September 2012 we have provided water to over 502 needy places in India.
The need for clean water is extensive throughout India and so we have chosen to carry out our work through a few select partners who are primarily responsible for helping us prioritize the requests for water. These partners have a long history of success in providing uplift in their geographical areas and now with our help, water becomes a new and very valuable component to their efforts.
Each of our projects is placed in areas where the most benefit can be had by the receiving community and without religious or caste discrimination. Exact project placement is primarily the responsibility of the project coordinator or engineer with concern given towards location of the water table and away from areas contamination which would include animal pens and sewage.
Once a project is completed the project becomes the responsibility of the receiving community. No one owns the project, it is a gift to the community from Wells for Life® and the donors and therefore it is to benefit the entire community regardless of caste or religion. Upkeep and maintenance of the hand pump is the responsibility of the community and its leadership and if in the future the community is unable to afford to pay for any repair on the equipment then contact can be made to us through our partner for assistance in making the hand pump operational.
My Call
As the founder of Wells for Life® I am often asked if my organization is a Christian missionary organization with the goal of converting people. My response is first met with a smile then a simple response: I started Wells for Life® because God called me to bring water to a rural Indian village in need. This village was not interested in any gospel message; it was just interested in clean water. God asked me to provide the water they needed and so I did.
Each project we drill, I visit, and in many instances I am accompanied by elected officials from the district we are working in. At each dedication I am taking photos and video for the donors to document the fact that we did what we promised and to show firsthand the lives that they are impacting with their gift of water. In many places I actually get to say more than “hello and goodbye” and in these times my message is clear and goes something like this:
“God loves you, He created you and you have value in His eyes. Others believe this to be true as well and have provided the resources for this hand pump bore well. We all know that money doesn’t grow on trees, if it did we would all be rich; you and me alike. No, the hand pump bore well you see here today is a gift to you from hard working and caring people on the other side of the world who believe you have value and significance. This project is a tangible expression of that belief. The only request is that you care for this project; you recognize that it is a gift and is to be freely enjoyed and utilized by all regardless of one’s caste or religious beliefs. Finally, allow this water that flows up out of the ground serve as a reminder to you of God’s provision for your life and of His care for you as people. Thank you.”
The purpose of our work is to bring water and to work alongside of our Indian partners strengthening their hands and lending credibility to their efforts of uplift to the rural and tribal areas of India. Neither I nor our partners put any conditions on our projects other than to treat it as their own which means they are to maintain it, own it, and allow it to be an instrument that brings life instead of something that brings division through discrimination.
A Final thought
Without your help, our donor, none of our work would be possible. People are amazed that I have done so much in a country that I knew nothing of before God called me to this task. The truth is, all of this is God’s work, and I am so fortunate to be part of that.
You also play a tremendous role. My belief is that God created all of us for a reason and part of that reason is for us each to treat one another with love and respect and to help those who are in need. Need exists all around us and if we all would just do something instead of nothing then this world would truly be a better place.
Unfortunately many people don’t want to be involved in any kind of charity or humanitarian work unless it benefits them in some way. Thankfully this isn’t the case for me or for those involved with Wells for Life®, we are not in this to get attention, to make money, or to become famous; were in this because we care for Indians and specifically those who have been oppressed and beaten down by society.
My hope is that you are one of our supporters or at least you are considering getting involved financially with us. You may be Hindu, Christian, Muslim or an agnostic; regardless of your religious belief what counts is that you want to make a difference and so you are considering whether or not to trust me, a person who seeks to follow Jesus with your money. Let me assure you that your gift will be used as it was intended and that is to make a difference through water.
I will not, nor will those who work on our behalf ever use your gift and its end result as a bargaining chip for conversions. Frankly that type of behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our organization.
We will however share with anyone who asks us why we do what we do and it will have something to do with God’s activity in our hearts. The fact is, He changed me and He has changed others; He has given us a concern for the poor, the orphan, and the widow. Furthermore, He has given us a desire to speak out against injustice, to advocate for the less fortunate, to walk in humility through putting others needs before our own and to do all of this in a spirit of love.
This is the message we endeavor to leave with those who ask us why we are doing these things and I trust is a message that resonates with you too.
Sincerely,
Michael Viser – Founder/President