Ola Nagele, a relatively small Kenyan village dotted with homes in a sprawling, dry area not far outside of the town of Isiolo didn’t have water. Clean water, that is. Here and there, after it rains, one can find pools of muddy water, red from the iron rich dirt. But such water is hardly fit for drinking. The villagers, mostly the women and children, have had to walk 3 or 4 kilometers one way to get drinking water, often waiting 3 or 4 hours in line once there, then carrying it back to their families in yellow plastic jugs. This is how they have done it for years and years.
But no longer. Ola Nagele now has clean water pumped directly into the center of the village, thanks to the very hard work of the village men and the support of GHNI.
The other day, we went to town and paid for over a kilometer of pipe. Guys from the hardware store loaded the pipe onto Wubshet’s blue truck, the one GHNI bought for under $500 to let Wubshet and his team here use as they work with Transformational Community Development.
Transformational. That is the key.
When GHNI begins work in a village, just like they are in the very newly fully adopted Ola Nagele (Thank you 99 who have joined in so much!!!), the nationals who communicate with the village chief or other head person always make it clear that Global Hope is a small organization. It is GHNI’s goal to stay small, in so much as they provide villages with small bits of support as they assist villages in transforming themselves, small bit by small bit.
Sometimes, materials for projects will be provided, such as in the case of bringing water to Ola Nagele, if the villagers agree to do the work.
And agree to work they did. It was part of our job, as a team, to help the men with digging the ditch for the water pipe. However, for the most part, the men would have none of it.
Which was wonderful. And not because we didn’t have to work in the sweltering heat that day. It was sweltering, don’t get me wrong. But it was wonderful that the villagers wouldn’t let us work because they are showing a sign of understanding that GHNI isn’t here to do work projects for them and then fly back home.
Rather, true, lasting, sustainable community transformation will only happen when the people in the villages embrace the fact that they can be part of bettering their own future. GHNI is around to help fund training for the villages to that end and to provide the necessary coaching and resources the locals need to complete projects in their villages.
Watching such a start to finish project the other day was amazing.
And we Mzungus weren’t the only ones watching.
Slowly by slowly as the long day unfolded, villagers began to gather around.
Perhaps they gathered to see the white folk or to watch the ditch being dug.
It’s definitely possible that some of the children may have not even known, at first, what all the hoopla was about.
But everyone in the village soon would.
Once the trench was dug, with the blazing sun still high in the sky, the pipe was unloaded.
The men from Ola Nagele lay the pipe in the entire length of the kilometer long ditch.
Camels passing by only slowed their progress a few times.
Yes, sometimes camels just walk by. It’s just how it is here. And I’m already getting (sort of) used to it!
A mother with her baby and some water walked by as well. She was, perhaps, the last woman to go fetch any before the first drop of fresh water arrived in Ola Nagele. For the job was nearly done.
There is a water main that runs out by the main road. Wubshet arranged to get the appropriate permission for Ola Nagele to tap into the main. All that remained the other day was the tapping itself.
How does one tap into a water main in rural Kenya? Very carefully. Using locally available resources. You know, a big pipe and a fire.
Once the metal pipe was hot, the (hired by GHNI) plumber teamed up with a really brave dude who held the hot pipe (using a jacket to protect his hands) and pushed it into the plastic water main.
Seriously. The plumber also showed some serious Kenyan savvy by using ripped plastic bags instead of plumbing tape to secure the threading on the parts of the valve.
Once the main was tapped, the very first pipe was fitted.
And then more and more and more pipes until the entire kilometer was done.
The men made what appeared to be relatively light work of filling the entire trench back in.
The last pipe was suspended above the ditch on a shovel.
And then we waited. And then they waited. They’ve been waiting for years and years, as a matter of fact.
The plumber when back to turn on the valve. And then. Oh, glorious day, water started coming out of the pipe. It was muddy at first, but as it flowed and flowed, the water washed the pipe clean.
A beautiful woman, great with child, appeared out of thin air with four buckets. She was the first to take more than a sip of the water, almost exploding with joy as she filled her buckets and took them home.
This, my friends, is what loving your neighbor can accomplish. Who wouldn’t want to pay $12 to see things like this accomplished?
The joy, thankfulness and pride at a job well done was evident in the villagers. They did this. We just got to hold their hand for a time. And now, those hands are cleaned, thirsts are quenched and hopefully one day soon, plants in Ola Nagele will be watered. Transformation. It was an honor to see a tiny bit of it happen in “our” village.
And how can I not share with you the amazing, perfectly told video story of the day, made by my new friends, the amazing AJ and Melissa.
I bet you’ll enjoy it. But not as much as Ola Nagele is now enjoying fresh water.
Simply amazing. Truly. Absolutely amazing.
Oh the things we take for granted. Thanks so much for sharing the pictures and videos. Seeing that man washing his face and drinking from his hands started the tears flowing. I can’t wait to show my children this video.
This brought such happy tears to my eyes. We do take fresh water for granted here in the US. I am very excited to share this video with my children tomorrow.
Amy
That is so awesome! It brought tears to my eyes. What wonderful work your team has done for the people in Ole Nagele. Simply AMAZING.
Awesome!
That is AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing, it’s such a good reminder of what can be accomplished when people from all walks of life join together.
Keep up the good work, Jennifer!
Jennifer, I am a single mom, raising a SPECTACULAR almost 12 year old daughter on my own, with no support, BUT we really badly want to be a part of this!!! Our $12 per month can go so far!!! This post brought me to tears, and I thank you for that!!! It is very humbling to see what it is like in other parts of the world. We don’t blink when we get clean drinking water out of the tap….. It is a pure joy to see what you are able to do over there, and we would really welcome the chance to be a part of it!!!
Cheers!!!
I love the stories your pictures tell!
This post brings me to tears. How amazing! We take water for granted, and look at this. Thank you for documenting this! I’m all choked up.
Dagmar
Ditto, Dagmar! I hope I can join in the Ethiopian village adoption.
Thank you for this video. I brought in my 3 and 6 year old to watch it too! Very moving!
Wow, that’s awesome!
Awesome!
That’s so amazing. I can’t imagine how happy they were to finally have water so close to them! I’m sure that will do a world of good for the village and the families there.
I love the picture of the boy with the pick over his shoulder, that’s really great, and the one of the women talking to each other. They just look so proud and they look so happy.
That is so amazing! Love the pictures and video!
FANTASTIC! I’m so proud of you for being a part of something so wonderful! What a blessed, life-changing day this must have been for the people of Ola Nagele.
This is amazing! Something as simple as clean water, readily accessible, is something I realize I take for granted! Thank you for humbling me and encouraging me to be grateful EVERY time that i use water and don’t have to leave my home!! This is awesome what you are doing – THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! God bless you!
Oh, God is so good. The work he is doing in that little village is amazing. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Wow, makes me super grateful for the water in my own house. Something that I am so quick to overlook as a blessing. Thanks for the new prospective. Bless you.
Awesome – just awesome!!
This is amazingly wonderful. So great that these people get to feel proud of themselves for a job well done instead of feeling helpless until someone else does something for them. Curious if the water flows constantly or if there is a way to turn it off? Can’t wait to hear about your day with your compasssion children!
McMama commented in response to someone’s question below the pipe (at 3:11am). I had wondered the same thing too!
Yes, a tap will go on the end…it may be being done today!!
awesome for them!!!
Wow. Thanks so much for sharing!
so great to see the pictures… i saw the video from GHN1 yesterday? and i saw you taking photos in the background. i just knew they would be beautiful photographs. because that’s how you roll… clean water. simply spectacular. what an incredible blessing. something we here in america take for granted. what an incredible blessing.
my church adopted a village called mucatine in mozambique. we helped them devolp irrigation and soon they were able to plant and harvest produce. so much so that they are now selling it at market. the women there needed a truck to transport their produce, so our church helped them sell/market campalo bags so that they could earn the money to buy their own truck. God blessed that project and they were able to purchase their truck 9 months earlier than anticipated. we loved walking alongside them on the project as we loved and encouraged them through the process.
a little water changes everything.
I love the video. Thank you for sharing your experience. We take so much for granted…..how many times to we even thing how lucky we are to have running water!
That brings tears to my eyes…SO much we take for granted. What an amazing, amazing blessing! Thank you, Jesus!
Jennifer,
Your story has made me want to know the feeling of watching a town receive water for the first time! I can’t wait until I can experience this for myself! You are an amazing woman, keep up the good work!
Oh- I will be meeting you soon in Charlotte for a photoshoot- I can’t wait
This is so awesome it gave me chills!
God uses His people to bless others. So thankful for the deciation of the group.! Thanks for the updates. Have a wonderful week & safe trip home to your family.
Amazing! It was amazing watching the story unfold in your post with the pictures and all – beautiful! I know it had to be even more undescribably in person! Everyone who is involved deserves a huge pat on the back, even though I know it’s all done to the glory of God. Great post!
p.s. REALLY makes me thankful for my ever present water. May we never take our clean water for granted.
This is AWESOME!!! So happy to see them getting WATER, something I take for granted, I’m sure. Keep up the good work!
Tears in my eyes from reading this! It must be wonderful to see it with your own eyes! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Praise God for all He does. The right people in the right places. Thank you for your willingness to serve.
What an amazing story. Absolutely worth leaving your family for a short while to improve the quality of life for others, no? I’d love to do something like this someday. Praying for you and this beautiful village.
Thank you for sharing this! I have tears streaming down my cheeks. Amazing.
That is beautiful!
The pictures, the video, the people, the water. Beautiful.
That is amazing! Such beautiful people with beautiful smiles!
Jennifer – I am SO excited to partner with this village. My heart is racing. I have such a passion for the need for clean water…as I’ve seen toxic water (cholera) unnecessarily kill fragile lives in Africa. This is SO EXCITING. I can hardly sit still in my chair while I type this. Your photos and your perfect word descriptions of your past week and have amazing. I LOVE these photos. God bless your obedience to His calling on your life. You are serving to make a sweet difference in the world. I hope this village can come to know Him.
Melissa, I absolutely agree with you – clean, disease free water is an incredible thing that we take for granted! It is shocking how many people the world over do not have access to clean water. I am curious though, about your statement that you hope this village can come to know God, they already do! These people are proud, peaceful muslims and have God in their lives already! praying to Him (Allah) five times a day. Just like we say, God is good, God is great, so do muslims. They say Allahu Akbar. Should we expect a village to change to Christianity, one which MckMama astutely notes we all have so much in common with?
Hi Caroline. I do not mean any offense. I am a Christian, authentically, meaning I receive the bible as truth. I study it. Therefore, I believe that the only way to God is through Jesus. Because this is what I believe, my desire is that all people would at least have the option of knowing who He is and then the freedom to make the choice to believe or not to believe. There are many unreached people groups in the world, meaning people who have never heard of Christ. My hope is that this village, and all villages, would be introduced to Him. It is a simple wish. A reasonable one. And in my opinion, a life saving one. I have no doubts about the commitment to their spiritual beliefs. I believe it is beautiful and sacred. I just don’t believe it gets them to redemption and Heaven. Like MckMama, I travel to Africa too and I agree we have so much in common with all human beings. She did astutely note such. But she never suggested that they didn’t need to know Christ, or that she wouldn’t want to share Him with them.
I’ve been waiting for Jennifer to talk about how she’s witnessed to the people. I recall her saying, and many of her commenters agreeing (on the live chat about this trip) that she would be sharing the message of Jesus.
I too am a Christian………but I think Jesus is bigger than the constraints we put on him…………..who is to say that when they meet Jesus face to face they won’t accept him? God is so much BIGGER than our limited beings can even begin to understand.
The older I get the more I have come full circle on this………..God is bigger than the Christian Church in the States…………and the limitations that WE put on him………….even Billy Grahm came to believe this.
I have also come to believe that a lot of Christians will be left sitting in the pews of their Church at the time of rapture.
I believe the same as you, Barb. None of this changes that part of the definition of “Christian” is accpeting Jesus as the way the truth and the light – the Godman, the hope of salvation and eternity in Heaven. Not only is God bigger than the Christian Church in the States – He is in many ways, the opposite of the church in the United States. We think we are the center and the head – and we couldn’t be more wrong. As a nation of believers, we grossly limit Him. I am busting out of that cocoon, rejoicfully. I have encountered Jesus in brilliant ways on other continents. And yes, Jesus says that some will come to Him and say “lord lord didn’t we prophesy in your name?”… and HE will expose them as evil doers. I want to know Christ. And I want others to know Christ, because I believe He WAS and IS and IS TO COME. My hearts desire for others to know HIM for who he is, is a pure and selfless desire… I’m not interested in imposing my beliefs, but revealing what I believe so that it can be shared.
I am sitting here in awe..crying with many tears of joy, as these people experienced this wonderful gift…I WANT TO GO THERE AND HELP THE NEXT TIME YOU GO! (Well, that is if the state gives it’s teachers a raise, lol)…but I do…It is on my bucket list now and I would love to learn more about the possibility of going…
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Truly amazing
Love all the pictures you take. they truly tell the story 
So glad you are there and doing wonderful things!
Beautiful! And a perfect “refocus” for me on this beautiful Saturday morning here in Virginia. I’m going to go savor my shower (with inside plumbing & hot water) now and THANK GOD from whom all good blessings flow, whether in Virginia or Africa
Thanks again for sharing!
- – still praying!
WOW!! I am speehless. And that takes a lot to do.
Amazing, just amazing. God bless.
I’m curious as to why there wasn’t a spigot or tap plumbed onto the end of the pipe on the day the trench was dug, pipe laid and water turned on. Would it have been better not to undertake the project until this could happen..??
From the date on the video I can see it was laid on Wednesday and I’m hoping that the water hasn’t been running freely since then. Regardless of whether there is adequate water supply available it seems very wasteful.
Surely GHNI could have ensured that the project could have been completed on the day the water was turned on at the (city water) junction..??
Awesome, just… awesome.
Wow! I love the video! I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that $12 a day does amazing stuff like that. I missed out on this village, but I’m ready for Etheopia!!!
This is absolutely breathtaking! I cannot imagine what that must have been like, what it must BE like for those villagers!! And to be a part of it all…what a blessing! Thank you for sharing this with us. It’s just another reminder for us all to be thankful for every little thing we have…and clean water is no little thing!!!:) Love, hugs and blessinsg!!!?
This is so wonderful to see…thank God for the technology to be able to see it! As someone too ill and broke to travel, this does my heart a world of good. I live vicariously through those who do God’s work abroad. Thank you for sharing and making a difference!
Jennifer, your ability to portray this beautiful story of hope has me in awe. It amazes me how you have chronicled this incredibly profound experience without reference to religion or spirituality and yet, God is fully present and there, in every single photo, every single word. What a great and blessed gift your team has provided this community of people… to all the mamas and babies and children and papas. May the rest of your journey be as beautiful as this. Erin
Thank you, Erin. Those were beautifully powerful words. I am honored to have been able to see this story unfold firsthand and be able to share it with you guys. I absolutely am experiencing the joy of sharing my love for God with actions and not just words. Thank you for taking the time to say that, Erin!
Well said. Totally agree.
Oh, and thanks for all the updates, the answered questions and these fantastic pics Jennifer! What an amazing experience for you and your family!
woohooo!!!! I guess a tap will go on the end of that pipe too? What a wonderful ‘start’ for the results of the adoption of Ola Nagele!
Yes, a tap will go on the end…it may be being done today!!
fantastic! I wish I’d been around for the adoption process- had to stay over in the country area in which I work- drat! Will there be another chance? Did I read correctly that we will get the chance to adopt another village in Ethiopia?
Yes, you read that correctly! I don’t know yet what day that will be on, but we’re flying to Ethiopia in just a few hours!!
hope your flight to Ethiopia is smooth- your time there is so well-spent. Never doubt that! This time I’ll use ‘world clock’ to check the time in my part of the world for the adoption process, although I am going on a school camp under canvas with year 6/7 students (and other teachers) Mon- Thurs this week coming. Is there any chance I can register within the next 24 hours? It’s now Sat 10.30pm here in Adelaide, South Australia.
Awesome!