We recently had the opportunity to provide a well in Lago Agrio, Ecuador. The well was not for a small village, family, school, or church. It was for a prison camp of over 600 inmates from all walks of criminal life. The prison camp's primary water source recently ran dry forcing the inmates to use dirty river water being trucked in from nearly 2 kilometers away. The government was unwilling to fund a new well so the dirty river water quickly began to make a majority of the inmates sick from parasites. Our partner on the ground in Ecuador, Inca Link, helped facilitate the project, they did an amazing job. We want to sincerely thank them for all the hard work and compassion they showed throughout this project. Water is a necessity to life and therefore we believe it’s a basic human right of all people, even prisoners.  

-WTW Team

Teanaste'lle'n!  I just spent a few weeks of December in the Borana zone of southern Ethiopia, where we are currently working with our local partners in a large 27 well project.  Approximately, five million Ethiopians are suffering from lack of clean water in the southern part of the country and the UN has declared the area to be in a "state of crisis."  The Horn of Africa drought has devastated this area with extreme food and water shortages.  Just a few weeks before I arrived, the area received their first rainfall in over two years!  The drill team has been deployed with our best drill rig and been busy drilling wells in the Miyo District, where they will remain until the completion of the project in March.  The wells are drilled about 10 to 15 meters past the static water level, ensuring the will provide water though the dry seasons and even droughts.  The villagers were ecstatic to finally have a secure clean water source close by.  Children would come running from all over shouting "Woo hah" (Amharic for "water"), when they would see us driving by in the land cruiser.  The drill team was known all over and treated as royalty, as they worked hard day in and day out, giving the gift of life: clean water.  Amidst all the laughter and bright smiling faces surrounding the new wells, I was so humbled, thinking of everyone back home who made all of this possible.  I have seen some pretty amazing things doing this work but, this project stands out.  The need for clean water here is huge but the amazing thing is the huge response and impact Wine to Water has been able to make, due solely to our supporters, like you.  And for that we are so grateful!    

Our projects manager, Kyle Lomax, returned from Uganda just before Christmas. He came back with stories of people who were overjoyed to have received life saving water filters! Thank you Kyle for all your hard work; below are few of his words. 

Furaha ya mwaka mpya!  Happy New Year everyone!  I just returned from Uganda, where I've been getting quite the workout hauling these 70 kg bio-sand water filters!  I was greeted by large crowds of smiling people in every village, expressing their gratitude.  After instructions on filter use and maintenance, the filters are installed in the selected homes.  Clean water has literally transformed these communities with better health and a drastic reduction in waterborne diseases.  Although we are closing in on our 1,000 filter project, a new project will be starting soon to continue to fill the high demand for these simple life-saving filters!  Your gracious support has made all of this possible.  On behalf of my friends in Uganda, THANK YOU!!

-Kyle

In 2010 we worked alongside a community based organization called FRIDSRO to construct a large hand-dug well. This well provides clean water to villagers, their livestock, and their agricultural needs. The quality of life for the locals has greatly improved. With access to clean water they are able to grow food for their families, feed their animals, increase their productivity and break the cycle of poverty. If you would like to help us continue improving the quality of life in Sri Lanka, please follow the link below to our catalog. Thank you so much for the support!

http://winetowater.org/catalog

-WTW Team

Our work in Cambodia has greatly expanded over the past few years. In 2011, along with our partners, Kone Kmeng, we celebrated the completion of our 300th well. we continue to work hard, drilling ten wells per month, as well as distributing ceramic filters, constructing latrines, and offering sanitation education. Each filter can provide clean water for a family for up to five years. Community sanitation is the last facet of influence we are able to provide in Cambodia. Poor sanitation kills thousands of people every day, so to cambat this in Cambodia, we are building latrines in areas where no previous methods of sanitation were used. Our goal is to build a latrine in every village where we install a well. With just $15 you can share in the cost of funding a well or latrine and just $30 can provide a filter. If you're interested in donating to our Cambodia projects please follow the link below. We greatly appreciate the support!

http://winetowater.org/donate

-WTW Team

Though time has passed since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the need for clean water continues to be urgent. In partnership with Filterpure Filters we have established a ceramic filter factory in Haiti that is now capable of producing up to 1,500 ceramic filters per month. Since the earthquake in 2010, our factory has produced and distributed over 4,000 filters. Each filter provides clean water for an entire family for up to five years. In 2012 we hope to distribute 14,400 filters and provide clean water to over 72,000 people. If you would like to help us reach this goal, please follow the link below. We really appreciate your donations. 

http://winetowater.org/donate

WTW Team

We received this e-mail from a supporter yesterday that provided great encouragement to everyone at the office and wanted to share with all of you. 

"I am weeping as I write this to you.

Yesterday I called and talked to Chelsea, and explained to her the situation that I am involved in Uganda.  I am a pastor in a church in Kansas, and our staff and members have been working with Arise Africa International and I Love Orphans to help children in a small orphanage survive in Uganda.  This facility was built a year ago by people who have seen the plight of these little ones, and they wanted to create a haven so that they can survive. The children at this orphanage are taken from the worst scenarios.  Their families have been murdered, eaten by animals, died from AIDs or other diseases, or they  have left and simply abandoned the children.  It is not an exaggeration to say that these children would be dead if they were not in this facility.

The facility is located outside the village of Bukaleba, out in the bush, and while a good facility it does not have clean water.  As a result, the 53 orphans are always struggling with  some water-born disease.  My daughter Allie, 23, left the US a month ago to help out with the orphanage, and when she arrived was placed in charge of it.  She has worked night and day to improve the diet, medical health, and physical needs of these children.

She emailed me on Tuesday (yesterday) saying that she needed water filters.   She herself has been sick, and several of the children are sick.  She had seen something about your organization online and asked me to check it out.  I called yesterday and talked with Chelsea, who encouraged me to send an email to Kyle, who happened to be in Uganda.  I did so.

A few moments ago Allie sent me an email saying that five units have been dropped off at the orphanage.  FIVE UNITS!  She is so very happy, and I am so very happy.  I don’t know how Kyle got the directions (I am assuming it was Kyle), or where he was when he got my email, but I cannot believe your people acted so fast.

So, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, service, and graciousness in helping us help these little children survive.  I am overwhelmed with thankfulness, and have just gone around to our staff here at the church and (loudly) yelled out what had happened.

God bless you, and you wonderful staff.  You all have changed lives today!"

Kyle just returned from visiting our filter factory in Haiti.  Here's the latest on the progress:

"I just returned from three great weeks at our filter factory in Jacmel, Haiti, accompanied with ceramics engineer and consultant Brad Ponack.  The visit was intended to increase the quality and efficiency of both the factory and the filters it produces.  Improvements were made in several areas like mixing ratios and times, kiln log profiles, flow rate and filtration tests, and packaging of filters to be distributed.  Everyone involved was excited to be working towards developing the proper procedures to manufacture the best ceramic water filter possible.  Our goal is to have the factory at full capacity within the next four months, producing up to 1,500 filters of the highest quality each month.  The demand is so high for these filters that reaching our full potential is not a recommendation but a requirement.  The Haitian factory team, Filterpure, and Wine To Water are committed to do our best in providing clean water to as many Haitians as possible.  Thank you so much for the support to allow us to do so and be sure to follow the progress being made over the next few months!"'

We hope everyone had a great weekend!  We received a newsletter from our parnters in Cambodia today and wanted to pass a story along to our great supporters!

This month we would like to show you how one well can change this person’s life. We would also like to thank you for your support of this project. Reoursey Chour village is located in Kroul Kor commune, Svay Chrum district, Svay Rieng province. The main occupation of the people is rice farming, with almost 100% of the people depending on their rice fields to live. But in the hot season they cannot raise their rice because there are not enough water systems available in their communities. In fact, in rural areas communities face a lot of problems, especially accessing clean water for home use and for growing fruit trees or vegetables. Because of this they become poorer and poorer, most of the men in the village go to work in Vietnam and some go to the towns to become construction workers while most of the girls move to work inside and/or across the border.

 These are some of the social issues that Kone Kmeng is responding to in their communities.

 Testimony “My name Kong Von, I am 28 years old and I am married to So Yin who is 29 years old. We have two children. We live in Reoursey Chour village, Krol Kor commune, Svay Chrum district, Svay Rieng province. As I am a disabled person it is really difficult for me to draw water from the lake, and some days we have no water to drink and use at night time. The villager who owns a well does not allow me to use it so I cannot grow any vegetables or fruit trees at my home. Because of this I tried to climb up palm trees every day to get palm tree’s water to sell and earn some money for my family. However, I could not afford to support my family and so one day my wife took me to the town in order to beg for money, but I have no desire to become a beggar even though I am disabled person. Then one day I asked the Pastor in my village for some advise, and he said he would request a well from Kone Kmeng.

 I received a well from Kone Kmeng and some teaching, and I was able to start to grow some fruit trees, morning glories, vegetable, yams, and gourds. Now I know that one well was not only helpful with our health as we now have clean water to drink and use in our daily life, but it has made our living conditions so much better because now every day we can earn some money from our garden, and I can afford to send my children to school.” He added “let me show you how green my garden is now” “I am really thankful to Kone Kmeng and all of its staff that have helped to save me and my family from unsafe water and poverty. I hope our community will improve soon.”

Our newest addition, Kyle, started this week.  We're excited to have him on board reporting from our international projects.  Below is a little message from Kyle to all of you...

My name is Kyle Lomax and I am the new international projects manager for Wine to Water.  In 2009, Doc asked me if I would be interested in doing some construction work in Uganda.  Being a contractor and enjoying adventure, I said, “Let’s do it!”  So, I spent mid-January to March of 2010 working in Uganda and loving it.  I was able to see first hand, the personal impact Wine to Water was making on my new friends.  After witnessing this organization's passion and ability to make a difference in the world’s water crisis, I wanted to be a part of it!     

Editor's note: Doc Hendley, a 2009 CNN Top 10 Hero, is the founder and president of Wine to Water, a nonprofit group.

(CNN) -- Humanity is facing a war right now with an enemy that appears to be winning.

Although this war is not fought with guns, more people die from this enemy than all the guns and all the other wars in the world combined. What's really sad is that many of the casualties of this war are children under the age of 5. Who is this enemy, and what is this war that claims the life of a child every 15 seconds? The enemy is unclean drinking water, and the war is the world's water crisis.

I started my organization Wine To Water in 2003 while bartending and playing music in Raleigh, North Carolina. When I learned about the world's water crisis and that more than 1 billion people lacked access to clean drinking water, I was upset to say the least. I became even more upset when I learned that more children died from unclean drinking water than anything else in the world.

However, it wasn't so much these staggering numbers that moved and angered me. It was the fact that neither I, nor anyone else I knew, had ever even heard of this global water crisis that claims the lives of 3.5 million people every year.

In December 2003, I decided I wasn't going to sit back and do nothing and began raising money in the bars and nightclubs around Raleigh. By September 2004, I had moved to Darfur, Sudan. What I saw and experienced there drove me to continue growing Wine To Water in hopes that we might have the greatest impact possible in fighting the world's water crisis.

After returning from Darfur in late 2005, our organization expanded to reach nine countries, including Ethiopia, Uganda, India, Cambodia, Peru, Haiti, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Not only have we been able to have a great impact, but I have also seen a lot of other great organizations out there being formed to address this same issue.

In the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed. The staggering statistics and effects of unclean water were discouraging. But we pressed on, and we continue to be encouraged as the world begins finally to take notice of this crisis.

Yet we still have a long way to go. Every day in the news we hear stories from places such as Afghanistan where coalition forces have lost more than 2,000 lives, yet nothing is being said of the 85,000 children in Afghanistan who, last year alone, lost their lives because of unclean drinking water.

When the Haiti earthquake hit, it was well-known throughout the world that water was by far the biggest need immediately following the quake. Yet one of the West's main responses was to send millions of bottles of water that now litter the already trashed streets of Port-au-Prince. And since bottled water is one of the least sustainable methods of addressing a water crisis, there are now 1 million people exposed to deadly waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid and not much better off than they were immediately following the quake.

So, while at times I am encouraged by the milestones reached in the last seven years of doing this work, I am also deeply saddened that not more is being done to save the precious lives of 1.5 million children each year who die simply because they can't get a clean cup of water.

I have two children of my own now. One is 2½ and the other 7 months. They are what keep me going, even when it all seems too difficult or impossible to fix. Because in the end those children dying are someone's sons and daughters, and I don't care where they're from, what they look like or what they believe in -- everyone deserves the right to have clean drinking water.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Doc Hendley.

To visit the published article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/04/hendley.heroes.water/index.html