My Nonprofit Reviews

I've been a contributor and volunteer for Wells Bring Hope since its conception in 2008. I am greatly impressed with the organization not only because it drills wells in Niger, West Africa, the poorest country in the world. , but by the fact that 100% of donations go directly to build wells.

Yes, there are many organizations that drill wells in Niger. But Wells Bring Hope is the only nonprofit that uses a model which assures that villagers have a sense of ownership for the well and are trained in how to maintain it, as well as in sanitation and hygiene. And Wells Bring Hope is one of the very few organizations that can honestly say that every penny in every dollar that is donated to the organization goes towards a well.

I've been involved with Wells Bring Hope --as a donor and as a volunteer - since it began in 2008. I feel quite passionate about Its cause - providing safe water for villages the poorest country in the world . Villages in Niger have many serious needs, but water is the basic need, and one which causes 1 in 7 babies to die before the age five.. When Wells Bring Hope drills a well in a village, they eliminate 70% of deaths due to bad water. And once a village has a nearby well providing safe water, the women and girls no longer have to make their long, arduous walks for water. And, no longer needed for this water task, girls are finally allowed to go to school. At that point, the village is on its way up in the development cycle. The gift of water is one which keeps on giving. The organization is a volunteer organization. There is only one paid administrative employee - who is paid by a special grant. All other donations go directly to the cause of drilling wells. I feel pride in being associated with such a cause and with such an organization.

Wells Bring Hope drills wells in Niger, the poorest country in the world. All donations go directly to drilling wells. Few other nonprofits can say this. The organization also provides microfinance support and training. In addition, it provides education and training on the digging and use of latrines. and the importance of keeping water clean after taking it from the wells.The impact on the villages is tremendous. Disease, blindness, and death decrease markedly. Water is indeed key! And what a difference can be made with even a small amount of money.

I have been involved with this non-profit since 2008. I am thrilled and proud over its achievements - and can't stop sharing information about it! Unlike almost all other nonprofits, 100% of its donations go towards drilling wells. And we have drilled 450 wells, affecting almost half a million lives -- forever! Most water charities, that drill a well and leave behind a village expecting them to return and maintain the well, because they do not have a sense of ownership, we have a different model. We partner with World Vision, which uses staff only from West Africa who speak the local language (Hausa) and understand the culture. They go into a village and offer to drill a well, but only if the village 1) contributes a small amount of money and 2) creates a maintenance committee of 7 or 9 people, half or whom are women. They train the committee to maintain the well, build latrines, and generally in sanitation and hygiene. The committee is tasked with maintaining the well and educating the village in these subjects. Once this has started, we drill the well, and then ask the women if they'd like to learn microfinance. They do! So we start microfinance groups of women and hold regular meetings with them to train them in microfinance. The two together (water and microfinance) Make an incredible difference in the village! I've been there myself, talking to the women. The difference in them AND in the village itself is visible. The village is clean. The children are clean. The women are confident and proud of themselves. AND the numbers of people who get sick and die of water related diseases drops drastically. And, lastly, but very importantly, now girls are freed up to go to school! I'm sooo proud of this organization.

Wells Bring Hope (WBH) drills wells in Niger, West Africa, the poorest country in the world. Many groups try to help African countries by drilling wells, but many of those wells are abandoned a few years later because the local villagers don't have a sense of ownership for the well. WBH's model is unusual. We only use employees from West Africa, so they speak the local language and know the culture. Before we drill a well, we ask village to contribute some small amount money (to ensure they have a sense of ownership) and create a maintenance committee of 5-7 people, half of whom are women. We train them in hygiene, sanitation, well maintenance and latrine building. After we drill the well, we offer microfinance assistance for the women, who no longer have to spend the brunt of their time walking and carrying water. I'm so proud to be part of this organization. It is totally volunteer run, and 100% of donations go towards wells.

Wells Bring Hope is the only profit I know that uses 100% of donations directly for the cause -- in this case to drill wells in Niger. The organization not only drills wells in a village, but does so in such a way that the local villagers feel ownership and maintain them themselves. Other water organizations "drop a well" into a village and walk away, so the village feels they don't own the well, and so when there are problems, they wait for the "owners" to return to repair it. If one goes back to that well a few years later, it is likely to have fallen into disuse. Not so with the wells drilled by Wells Bring Hope (WBH). In addition, once the women are freed from the burden of walking miles to get water every day
WBH provides microfinance training to them. WBH continues to have a presence in the village for 15 years after a well is drilled.

I have been involved with WBH as a volunteer and a donor since 2008. I have traveled to Niger with the founder three times to videotape interviews with women in remote villages about the need for safe water and microfinance. I have seen first hand how drilling our wells and helping women with microfinance changes lives -- lives of not just the women and girls (who can not attend school) but everyone in a village. I am Director of Volunteer Management, and in that role, I am responsible for recruiting, interviewing, and placing volunteers, and also following up with them about their experiences with WBH. I could not do that if I did not feel that this organization is top notch.

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I have been involved with Wells Bring Hope almost since its inception and consider it an amazing nonprofit organization. Few can claim, as it does, that 100% of its donations go to drill wells. I am proud to be involved with an organization that makes such a difference in the world. I have traveled twice (at my own expense) to Niger to interview women in remote villages about their dire need for safe water, and I've seen first hand what a difference we have made in their lives. I am amazed at the dedication of the founder and all the volunteers for Wells Bring Hope and I am proud to work with such people.





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I have been a strong supporter of Wells Bring Hope since its inception three years ago and am intensely proud of my involvement with the organization., Twice I traveld to Niger to help interview women in remote villages about their dire need for safe water. I've seen first hand their living conditions and how the wells we drill absolutely changes their lives and that of their children. Once this basic need is filled, they can finally begin to improve their lives in other ways. I have to add that the World Vision staff who use the money we raise to drill the wells are incredible professionals with huge hearts. They show incredible compassion and respect for the village people. I consider myself fortunate to work with them.

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