Maji Mengi Drilling Team is On a Roll 
24 Wells in 8 Months!
No. 1 ,  September 2009
In this issue...
How Many Tanzanian's To Unload A Drilling Rig?
What is Primary Water?
GRA logo
Greetings!

Water Spray Welcome to the first issue of the Global Resource Alliance (GRA) newsletter. We have so much exciting news to share with you about affordable, alternative and sustainable living in rural Tanzania. This issue is dedicated to spreading the word about GRA's amazing water project that has brought clean, safe water to about 12,000 people since February. We invite you to view our new 10 minute movie about the Maji Megi water project on YouTube. See how our vision of bringing hope, joy and abundance to hundreds of thousands of people currently living without access to safe water is becoming a reality.

Best Wishes,
Monica Marshall
GRA Director

P.S.
If you would not like to receive this newsletter in the future, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email. The next issues will highlight GRA's activities in solar cooking and permaculture.
Woman Pumping Water Water Project Movie on YouTube

View GRA's new 10 minute video about our well drilling project in rural Tanzania.

What have GRA supporters made possible this year so far?
Wells Drilled
2009 Goal: 36
Drilled So Far: 24
12,000 people now have access to a clean source of water!
Funding Still Needed:
$48,000
 
Solar Cooking Workshops Held
2009 Goal: 14
Held So Far: 8
300 people have been trained in Solar Cooking to prevent indoor fires and deforestation, 30 have become certified teachers and 160 solar cookers have been distributed.
Funding Still Needed:

$600

Orphans Supported
2009 Goal: 450
Supported So Far: 450
GRA has met this year's goal, however, 10 sponsors  are needed for GRA to continue providing food, education and healthcare for all these children.

Sponsors Still Needed to Commit $25/month: 10

Micro Lending Capacity
2009 Goal: $67,000
Lent So Far: $57,000
This money, in addition to the $100,000 already lent since 2002, has made it possible for over 700 families to start a small business and greatly improve their lives.

Capital Still Needed: $10,000


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 How Many Tanzanian's Does it Take to Unload a Drilling Rig?

No, seriously, GRA President, Lyn Hebenstreit, wondered as he deliberated with his colleagues on how to unload a five ton drilling rig trapped in a shipping container that fit like a glove. Turns out about 25 can get the job done - no fork lift needed.
 
Now permanently mounted on a trailer towed by a 4x4 truck, the top-of-the-line rig is in full swing under the command of the Maji Mengi Tanzanian drilling team. In the first month of operation last February, the team hit water 3 times, and demand for drilling sky rocketed. To date, 24 wells have been drilled, providing enough clean, safe water for over 12,000 people who previously depended on highly contaminated laMaji Mengi Crew with Drilling Rigkes, rivers, ponds or puddles for water.

The demand from villages has been so great because GRA charges only $6,000 from start to finish for a community well, which is about a third the cost of villages' previous option - contract drillers. But unlike contract drillers, GRA guarantees clean, abundant water or the village pays nothing. These wells are partially subsidized by GRA - about $4,000 per well.

The drilling team has been trained by two very generous volunteer water consultants, Pal Pauer and Paul van Beers. Pal Pauer is one of world's leading experts in tapping Earth generated water, known as "Primary Water." Paul van Beers, developer of the Afripump, is a consultant to the UN, the World Bank, and a leading expert on hand pumps and rural water supply in Africa.

We aim to drill 12 more wells by the end of the year, and can do it with your help! Every $100 you donate provides an entire family with a lifetime of clean, safe water.

Pal pointing out rock fissures What is Primary Water?

Primary water is created within the Earth's interior and travels toward the surface via fissures and fractures in primary rock. It is accessed by drilling directly into bedrock, often at depths of just 150 to 300 feet. Also referred to as new, juvenile, or earth-generated water, discussions of primary water can be found in modern literature, although it is not generally recognized by the hydrological community. It's potential to ameliorate the world's growing water crisis remains largely unrealized.

Evidence of primary water comes from a variety of sources. Natural springs, for instance, can be found throughout the world that have been producing thousands of gallons of pure, fresh water per minute continuously since biblical times. Many of these, like the Fountain of Apollo in Libya and the Ain Feigh in Syria, have seeded civilizations. Others, like the giant spring gushing from solid granite in Kings Canyon National Park, are merely wonders of nature.
Kids running with buckets of water. $11,000 Raised During Annual Event!

Our Water for Life Event held in June at the Ojai Retreat was a great success- fabulous vegan Indian lunch, whimsical Beatrice Wood pottery on silent auction, premier of GRA's 2 new videos and a fun dance and music performance by Panzumo of Santa Barbara, CA. Thanks to everyone that participated with donations, volunteering and buying stuff!
 
Now we are only $1,000 way from having enough to complete 3 new wells at 3 primary schools in the Rorya district of Tanzania, which will provide one of the only sources of clean, safe water in the area to over 1,500 people. Missed out on the fun at the fundraiser? It's not to late to get in on the well drilling action. Every $20 you donate provides a lifetime of clean, abundant water to one person.


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About Us

Global Resource Alliance (GRA-USA) is an all-volunteer US 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing hope, joy and abundance to communities in the Lake Victoria Region of Tanzania.  By sharing ideas, volunteers and financial resources with local, community based organizations we seek to promote natural, holistic and sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, malnutrition and disease. We believe that empowering local communities to address pressing social, economic and environmental challenges according to their own vision and their own creative potential is the key to lasting solutions.
 
100% of donations to GRA are tax deductible and will be used directly for programs and projects in the Mara Rrgion of Tanzania. 
 
Monica can be contacted at [email protected] or by replying to this newsletter.