Wells of Life

Wells of Life (WOL) is a 501(c)(3) Christian non-profit organization whose goal is to provide rural Ugandans access to safe, clean water through the installation of sustainable borehole water wells and teaching the local community about sustainable hygiene and water supply. It was founded in 2008 and has funded over 1,100 wells [1] primarily in the Mityana , Kassanda and Mubende regions of Uganda, all of which collectively serve more than 1,100,000 people. It is based in San Juan Capistrano, California, and has built their headquarters in Mityana, Uganda. In 2018, Wells of Life founded its Irish counterpart, Wells of Life Ireland.

History

Wells of Life was founded in 2008, by Nick Jordan, a Laguna Beach real estate agent and Ireland native who recognized the dire need for clean water while in Uganda. They built their first wells in February 2010 and were officially considered a 501(c)(3) by 2011. |url=http://www.ocregister.com/2011/07/13/oc-man-helps-bring-clean-water-to-ugandans/ |agency=OC Register |date=13 July 2011}}</ref> They were granted 501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service in 2012.

In 2015, Wells of Life was recognized as Forge54's sponsored non-profit of the year,[2] receiving $574,725 in services from nearly 100 volunteers[3] during Forge54's third annual 54-hour weekend volunteering marathon.[4]

In August 2016, Wells of Life began partnering with the Christian East Africa Economic Development Trust (CEED).[5] The organizations were introduced by two Grove City College students interning at CEED.[6] CEED employs the local Ugandans who drill and maintain the wells that Wells of Life funds.

On March 12, 2018, the Kingdom of Buganda signed a memorandum of understanding with Wells of Life, affirming their common goal of bringing clean water to the Buluuli, Kooki, and Mawogola counties of Uganda, where water concerns are most severe.[7]

Also in March, Wells of Life purchased land in the Mubende region of Uganda to build a 12,000-square foot, $1 million headquarters facility.[8] The headquarters will include staff and guest accommodations, business offices, and well-drilling and maintenance warehouses and training facilities.

In May 2018, Wells of Life founded its Irish counterpart, Wells of Life Ireland, based in Navan in the county of Meath.

In 2019, we launched a project called Operation Restoration! This project was to help save the wells that began to act as non-functioning wells. Wells of life works to not only drill new wells, but to restore forgotten non-functioning wells drilled by previous organizations. There were many communities in Uganda that were lacking clean water in result of a non-functioning well. The only difference between a new well and a restored non-functioning well is timing. A repaired well has sometimes been non-functioning for several years. The result is the same, 1,000 people now have access to safe water!

In April 2020, in response to the Corona Virus, Wells of Life donated 10,000 bars of soap to both local and national leadership in Uganda. When this soap is dissolved in water, the components of the soap forms circular "micelles" exposing all of the water-loving ends outward. The Corona Virus is coated with lipids and proteins, the hydrophilic (water-loving) component of soap acts to dissolve the lipids and break down the proteins, both of which actions help prevent the virus from entering the cells on the skin.

In September of 2020, Wells of Life Founder Nick Jordan Received Pope Saint John XXIII 2020 Humanitarian Award. The Italian Catholic Federation initiated The Pope Saint John XXIII Award in 1970 as their highest recognition to a layperson of any denomination who exemplifies humanitarian service to society. Perry Shurko, the Italian Catholic Federation member who nominated Jordan for the award said, “No human being should ever be deprived of these elements and I applaud Nick’s extraordinary efforts to save lives and provide greater opportunities to Uganda’s poorest communities.”

In 2021 & 2022 Wells of Life had one of the top 5 Galas in Orange County for the past two years, as reported by the Orange County Business Journal, with a total net revenue of $1.81 and $1.84 million respectively.

In August of 2023, Wells of Life initiated project GreenWell to revolutionize water access and sustainability in rural Uganda. They are becoming an Area Service Provider (ASP) for preventative maintenance of wells, addressing the pressing challenges faced by current water management systems, and ensuring the long-term functionality of rural water sources. They are embracing a Professional Management Arrangement (PMA) approach through the ASP model to address these challenges head-on. This innovative approach, developed in collaboration with the Ugandan government and other organizations, aims to break the cycle of external donor dependency and foster continuous water access while maintaining community involvement and fiscal responsibility. The appointed ASP takes on the responsibility of frequent preventive maintenance and monitoring of wells. Any anomalies or issues with the wells are promptly addressed within 24 hours.

Partnerships

Wells of Life has a partnership with the Honorable Charles Peter Mayiga, the Prime Minister of Buganda. During their March 2018 meeting, part of which aired on NTVUganda,[9] Jordan and Mayiga discussed the consequences of inaccessible water in Uganda, as well as Jordan's goal of helping all of Uganda gain access to clean drinking water by 2038. Mayiga also sits on Wells of Life's Advisory Board and in the Summer of 2023 he visited their headquarters in San Juan Capistrano, CA to personally thank them for the tremendous contribution they have made by bringing water to the people of the Kingdom of Buganda.

Wells of Life partners with the Christian East Africa Economic Development Trust (CEED) to drills its wells. CEED is a US-based non-governmental organization that has employed local Ugandans to drill and repair wells for more than 20 years.[10] CEED is responsible for designing the sustainable well that Wells of Life places in villages.

In 2018, Austin Hedges, catcher for the San Diego Padres and a Wells of Life Ambassador,[11] teamed up with Adam Wainwright's Big League Impact to fundraise for Wells of Life.[12] Hedges asked donors to pledge an amount per Padres win in the 2018 season, and pledged to match their donations up to $12,000.

In 2020, Wells of Life partnered with She for She. This is a Ugandan-based social enterprise, that provides sustainable menstrual kits to girls in rural areas. Wells of Life will provide each and every girl with her own kit that will contain everything required for her menstrual hygiene. Not only will this ensure that our girls no longer miss several days of school each month, but they will come to know that their hopes and dreams matter to Wells of Life. Along with providing female students with Menstrual Kits, Wells of Life will also host an education session with male students to help reduce bullying girls about their natural cycle. We are excited to be able to provide girls with the same quality of education as boys.

Charity:water- In July of 2023 Wells of Life and charity: water began a partnership to work together to promote the sustainability of wells in Uganda's communities, using water sensors. Wells of Life, is in this partnership with charity: water to use their water sensors to improve well maintenance programs as well as the overall efficiency and effectiveness of each well. 50 sensors were donated by charity: water, so that Wells of Life can see the flow rate of each one of these wells, allowing them to quickly respond and fix the problem when it arises.

Ugandan Water Project- In September of 2023, The Ugandan Water Project and Wells of Life joined together to deploy "mWater" water point mapping as part of the Rural and Urban Management Information System (RUMIS) pilot in Kabale District, Uganda as well as two additional districts: one in the Eastern Region and one in the Karamoja Region.

Programs

We Drill Wells

As of September 2023, Wells of Life has funded the drilling of 830 new wells in Uganda, primarily in the Mityana, Kassanda and Mubende regions. New wells can be the difference between life and death. Safe access to clean water creates sustainable communities. When you give clean water you give time, opportunity, education, and empowerment. When a community receives clean water, they are given the resources of health, hygiene, and time to create a more sustainable society. Each New well costs $8,000, which includes drilling, maintenance, and repair costs.

The wells are personalized with plaques containing information about the well's donor. Notable well donors include Pedego Electric Bikes[13] and Irish tenor Anthony Kearns.[14] Local Eagle Scouts,[15] as well as students from Mission Basilica School,[16] Mater Dei High School,[17] and Servite High School[18] have also donated wells. A well was donated to mark the engagement of actor Miles Teller and model Keleigh Sperry, who are both Wells of Life ambassadors.[19] Other wells have been dedicated to honor individuals posthumously: A 2018 well was dedicated to the late Reverend Billy Graham;[20] Kearns donated a well in 2015 in honor of victims of the September 11 attacks;[21] and a well in 2015 was dedicated to the six Irish students who died in a balcony collapse in Berkeley, California, that year.[22]

Operation Restoration

As of September 2023, Wells of Life has funded the restoration of 335 wells. The only difference between a new well and a restored non-functional well is timing. Both communities suffer from lack of safe water. The receivers of a new well receive clean water for the first time. A repaired well has sometimes been non-functional for several years. Imagine once having access to clean water and then losing it because of a malfunctioning mechanical part. The result is the same: 1,000 people now have access to safe water. Wells of Life works to not only drill new wells, but to restore forgotten non-functioning wells drilled by previous organizations. Each Restoration well cost $4,000, which includes, drilling, maintenance, and repair costs.

Healthy Village

Healthy Village Program is also known as WASH. WASH is an acronym that stands for the interrelated areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

Clean water, sanitation, and good hygiene practices are essential for survival. However, in rural Uganda, these elements of life are still not at hand’s reach for many children and families. Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene remain one of the biggest challenges in villages, schools, and health centers throughout the country.

We realized that while providing clean water we were performing life-saving and life-altering services, but there was still more we could do for our friend in rural Uganda. So, in 2019 we piloted our WASH program that we have since renamed our Healthy Village Program.

Our solution is to provide education and resources that encourage healthy sanitation and hygienic practices. The implementation of the Healthy Village Program takes approximately 6 months in order to educate the community on how to build and use latrines, ending Open Defecation and thus eliminating fecal contamination.

The cost of our Healthy Village Program is $8,000.

Water Warriors

Water Warriors are a passionate and committed community of monthly givers on a mission to create sustainable communities through clean water. These people, from all over the world, are giving what they can to transform the lives of those in need! Just $50 per month can transform the lives of 100 children a year! Like any monthly subscription, sign up is easy, and payments are automatic because doing good should be easy work. To sign up for the Water Warriors Program, visit the Wells of Life website and click,

Run4Water

Run4Water is the biggest fundraising event of the year. This event brings together schools, churches, businesses & families and allows everyone to play a part of the progression to bringing clean water to the communities that need it the most. For the past nine years, this event has brought clean water to over 250,000 people in rural Uganda. In 2023, Wells of Life was able to raise $218,000 and funded 44 Wells.

Financials

Wells of Life, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We believe in transparency, ethical accounting, and donor stewardship.

External Sources

References
  1. "Wells of Life –– Funded Wells". Wells of Life. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  2. "Wells Of Life –– Forge54". Forge54. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  3. Staggs, Brook (16 October 2016). "54-hour blitz: Marketing pros spend weekend using talents to help homeless". Orange County Register.
  4. "Third Annual Forge 54 - Wells of Life - Sparkhouse". Sparkhouse. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  5. "Wells of Life 2016 Annual Report". Issuu. Wells of Life. 13 February 2017. p. 1. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  6. "Interns get the job done, help bring wells to Uganda". Grove City College. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  7. "Buganda takes water to Kooki, Buluuli – Buganda Today". bugandatoday.com. Buganda Today. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  8. "Uganda Headquarters Update". Wells of Life. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  9. "Buganda Kingdom partners with America NGO to provide safe water to all Ugandans". YouTube. NTVUganda. 12 March 2018.
  10. "Uganda – CEED". CEED. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  11. "Wells of Life –– Meet The Team". wellsoflife.org. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  12. "Austin Hedges, his teammates and Padre fans are making a Big League Impact". pledgeit.org. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  13. "Pedego Electric Bikes Helps Bring Fresh Water Wells to Rural Uganda". Pedego Electric Bikes. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  14. "Anthony Kearns Music - Anthony Kearns News". Anthony Kearns Music. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  15. Ekberg Padilla, Marie (17 June 2015). "Bravo: Eagle Scout helps Uganda water crisis". Orange County Register. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  16. "Local Student Group Helps Nonprofit Build Wells in Uganda". The Capistrano Dispatch. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  17. Audette, Alex (17 May 2018). "School raises about $12K for Wells of Life". The Scarlet Scroll. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  18. Wilson, Reilly (23 April 2018). "Servite Participates in Wells of Life Annual "Run4Water"". Servite High School | A Catholic All-Boy College Prep High School in Orange County, CA. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  19. Lee, Esther (12 March 2018). "Miles Teller Received a Sweet Engagement Gift From His Future In-Laws". The Knot News.
  20. "Wells for life overflows". OC Catholic. 8 May 2018.
  21. "Wells of Life National Ambassador Anthony Kearns, World Renowned Tenor, Performs for Wells of Life Gala – Exceeding Fundraising Goal at Sold Out Benefit - Aliso Laguna News". Aliso Laguna News. 1 December 2014.
  22. Bharath, Deepa (13 August 2015). "At 100, O.C. monsignor still giving to those in need around the world". Orange County Register.
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