We Employ Simple Technology
Local crews drill wells which provide long-term supplies of safe drinking water for 200 to 500 people. (See the example of the Liberian crew)
The centerpieces of this program are the lightweight LS-100 and LS200 mud-rotary drill rigs. They are affordable, simple to operate and portable: they can be transported in the back of a small truck to remote locations.
Using drill mud, the LS-100 can drill a 6-inch bore hole more than 100 feet underground.
Other simple equipment includes:
- Marsh funnels to check the viscosity of drilling fluid
- Water-level meters to accurately assess well yields
- Mud pumps, jet pumps & hand bailers to develop wells
- Field test kits to confirm the water is safe to drink
- GPS units to accurately record project locations for accountability to donors and follow-up maintenance
- Digital cameras to capture project details for donors
Wells are usually completed by installing a positive displacement hand pump such as the Afridev. This UNICEF pump is ideal for village-level operation and maintenance because very few hand tools are needed to repair it.
Even a simple car tire wrench can be used to perform basic maintenance!
If pumps used in the area are expensive or parts are difficult to acquire, we use the BUSH pump. Because it is built in-country, this pump can be repaired using locally available parts. 
It also has the advantage of being ugly and having low "looting" value!
Vault toilets and pour-flush toilets are built using simple, readily available tools including:
- Shovels and other digging tools
- Basic carpentry tools (saw, hammer, screwdrivers, level, hand drill, etc.)
- Cement working trowel
- Wood forms
Read more about our strategy:
- We focus on keeping costs down
- We train and equip local workers
- Village participation is essential
- Workers drill wells and build community toilets
- Donors make projects affordable for local people
- There is ongoing project follow-up
