Update from Ron Hanson...
TRIP TO DARFUR, SUDAN
It was very hot, when I arrived it was 43 C (that is 109.4 F) and that was at 8 P.M... The next day a travel permit was obtained to fly to Darfur. We were at the airport before 6 A.M.; the flight took two and a half hours in a commercial prop plane. It took several hours to find a vehicle, since no one wanted to take their vehicle out of the city we were in, many had been stolen. Finally a friend of these men that lived there was willing to go for a price we could afford. The day was spent going to IDP (Internal Displaced Persons) camps, we went to three, Sherif (48,000 people), Deriage (45,000 people) and Utash (62,500 people). The situations were critical in many areas of life. The most crucial were the water needs; there were camps with thousands of people and only one working well...
One of the most interesting things we saw was in a dry river bed, near the village of Duma, where they had dug a square hole, and had lined it with four inch in diameter small trees. It was probably three feet deep. Children were drawing the water by standing on the walls and dipping the water with a small container into a bucket. The water was very clear, and some of the Sudanese people with us tasted it. They found it tasted very good, however the people said it was full of infectious diseases. The people strongly appealed to us for a clean water solution...
The second day there, a decision was made to go to Lobudu, a village that was not under the total control of the government, and two hours out of town. Many of the mature men and young adults of that village serve with the local militia. Several of our men that lived in the town we were visiting, were opposed to our going. However, this was the area that most needed water. There were people from the village that were known by those hosting me, they made contact and determined that we should try it. About an hour out of town, a pickup full of armed men approached our vehicle; my heart skipped a beat or two, until we realized that they were known by the two village men in our vehicle. The commander approached the car and shook my hand. He was carrying a satellite phone and was well armed. We traveled through several villages that had been totally destroyed and hundreds of people killed in 2004. Upon arrival in the village, we were greeted very warmly by the local elders. As we entered the village, another man came and greeted the two village men that we had with us. We drove up to a building and forty to fifty men came out to greet us. Then the elder of the village took us around and showed us their wells. They had seven wells with hand pumps, five of them were broken since the war, and produced no water at all. One pump would give ten gallons of water; however you had to wait two or three hours for it to fill again. So of the seven, only one was working. There are 38,000 people in the village. The situation in the area is indescribable, since the village is completely cut off from any help that Aid Organizations are trying to offer. The need there is the greatest that I saw in the Darfur area. EDOOS, the humanitarian organization that we work with, can access the village, with the help of those known in the village...
In just about every refugee camp and village I visited, there is a need for water. In most of them, there is a desperate need.
It is my desire to raise money to fix the pumps and perhaps dig an additional two boreholes in this village. In addition to that, all of the refugee camps, except one, need several boreholes. The interesting thing is the water is not more than sixty feet below the surface. And there is a lot of water available!
Would you pray that God will provide donors for these much needed projects?
Thanks to those of you who have already given towards bringing water to the hurting of Africa.
Ron Hanson
Africa Oasis Project
Assemblies of God Mission
P. O. Box 2292
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
How Can I help...
Jesus tells us: “…if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." (Matt. 10:42)
Would you consider supporting us in bringing clean drinking water to the people of Africa, 100% of your donation will go directly to the Africa Oasis Project to build fresh water wells. Whatever God inspires you to give will bring us all that much closer to our goal.
Your donation is tax exempt under federal and state laws that govern 501c3 organizations, a receipt will be emailed to you upon completion of the online donation process.
If you are unable to support this project financially, we humbly ask for your support through prayer.
