CANORA - Vic Hamer of Elkhart, Illinois, who spends summers at Burgis Beach, has been bringing life-changing resources, including fresh water, to the needy in Kenya for over a decade. He started doing volunteer work there in 2010 and in 2012 he joined “Give Me Water Lord,” a not for profit organization based in Elkhart
As of this year, Hamer said GMWL has placed seven water well projects in Kenya. This is made possible by contacting a drilling company to place the well at an average cost of $35,000 to $40,000 US. Several of these wells have been placed in memory of a loved one. People from Canada and the US are the primary donors of these funds.
GMWL also has other projects including the donating of goats and Bibles. In Kenya, many people make an average salary of $100 US per month. Their rent is $70, so they have $30 for utilities, groceries, clothing, school fees, and other necessities. A Bible cost $15 US, so most people cannot afford to buy one. Again, thanks to the generous donations from the USA and Canada, GMWL is able to hand out a Bible to the people.
The Goat Project donates a female goat to families who have lost everything due to the previous droughts. It includes the vaccination, transportation and purchase of a goat for a total cost of $125 US. Families have also received life-changing help with bags of groceries and school fees for their children.
Bibles donated to Kenyans have been very much appreciated, according to Hamer.
“The people in Kenya are really hungry for the word of God,” said Hamer "On several occasions when I hand out a Bible to a lady, she starts crying or kissing the Bible. They are just overwhelmed with such a ‘precious gift.’"
Those in Saskatchewan who would like to make a donation to may send a cheque to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Ebenezer. Be sure to indicate that it is for GMWL and which project the funds are intended to support.
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