You Did It! November 28, 2011

You Did It!

By Hemant Mehta
November 28, 2011

109 of you donated, raising $5,000 for “drilling equipment that will bring clean water to people in Ethiopia”! And you did it with over a month to spare 🙂

100% of the $5000 you have raised will directly fund water project costs in the field. Water will change everything. Disease will dramatically be reduced. Children will be able to go to school and get an education. Men and women will be able to dedicate more time to their jobs, increasing productivity and lowering the poverty level.

To those who contributed — you’re about to make a real difference for people who cannot always help themselves.

That’s Humanism in action.

If you’d still like to donate to a good cause, you can still give through the Friendly Atheist campaign at Charity Water.

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What Are Your Thoughts?leave a comment

  • Badass – just like a teenager, we finished with a big rush at the end.

  • Guest

    wait, the rig actually is  truck? will someone send money when the truck breaks as well? (I hope it comes with a 20 year warranty and complete maintenance package) I learn sand and euro-american cars/truck =bad idea. 

  • Thank you for doing this Hemant. I am honored to have a small part in it. I’m looking forward to tracking the truck via GPS.

    I raise a glass of water to you!

  • JMM

    What kind of anthropological research has been done to show that this will indeed help the indigenous populations to which this is going too? If these people(s) come to rely on our westernization of their ecology and culture, then what happens when the sources break or run out long after westerner(s) have left the area? Are we sure the people want these things or are we being ethnocentric? How is all this being maintained? In other words, when a well is installed–who maintains it? I am not saying its good or bad, I am curious as to whether or not someone has considered the unintended consequences. Unintended consequences, considering the ethnographic record shows there are examples of negative impacts of development. 

  • I guess you could direct those questions to the charitywater.org people. I’d be interested to see their reply.

  • Ndonnan

    im guessing here but the people on the ground just need a drink,not a study or you will need to raise $100000 to do the study

  • Ndonnan

    well done people,from what ive picked up about athiests so far is a self centuered complaining person,so this really is a credit to you all who participated

  • Anonymous

    who will repair the truck when it breaks down?

  • Thanks for facilitating this. I, too, am honored to be a part of it.

  • Tim

    Well ultimately, I would wish that the comunities in which this rig is used will develop sufficiently so that when problems come their way whether that be problems with the water supply, the ecology or whatever else, they will be sufficiently prosperous and self-reliant to deal with it themselves.    In the meantime whilst we wait for that progress.  at least they will have clean water to drink and in the short to medium term a charity who will spend money on well maintanance and building local skills. 

    If westernisation means clean water and prosperity then I wouldn’t see that as a bad thing.  Clean water is good. Period.  That is a universal fact not a western value.

  • Tim

    The same mechanics who repair any other vehicle that breaks down in ethiopia I should think.  The charity doesn’t just deliver these trucks and then abandon them.  Have a read of their website. 

  • Anonymous

    Perhaps my information is out of date, but the problem I mention used to be common.  A charity donates tractors to farmers, but then they break down and there’s no infrastructure (mechanics, spare parts) to repair them. 

    I suppose I’m probably just belly-aching.

  • Tim

    It looks like the charity is in it for the long haul.  They set up local offces and train local people in the maintenance of their pumps and wells.  As to the drilling truck,  IIUIC, it is crewed and operated by professional engineers rather than simply handed over.

    In fact the locals are NOT given the truck at all,  ownership, operation and maintenance of that stays with the charity.  The locals are given the well that the truck leaves behind. 

    We are not donating the drilling rig to the Ethiopians, we are donating the drilling rig to the charity so that they can donate wells to the Ethiopians