Open a faucet and fresh water will quench thirst. Turn a handle and a shower will invigorate a person. But, what if the tap was dry and bringing water home was your job?
Almost one billion people around the world live this way. One in eight people does not have immediate access to clean water, or “blue gold,” and lugging it home for miles often is the only option.
Within the next 10-20 years, worldwide demand for fresh water could outstrip supply by 20 percent. It soon could cost more than oil.
Growing up in Greenwald, Minnesota, Daniel Ohmann was acquainted with pumping water. Windmills were found on most farms in his state. His father installed many of them to pump water before electricity reached the area.
Years later, as a Maryknoll priest in Tanzania, Father Ohmann thought about the windmills as women carried five-gallon water buckets on their heads six miles from a river. Drought is common in Africa. Villagers often can be seen scooping murky water from makeshift wells in scorched riverbeds.
“You don’t need to be here long to see that water is the number one need in this part of Africa,” said Father Ohmann, who has been with Maryknoll for more than 50 years.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers is the overseas mission society of the U.S. Catholic Church founded during 1911. The Society today serves the poor and others in need in 28 countries, including the U.S. During 2011, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers is commemorating its centennial with a theme of The Gift of Mission – The Maryknoll Journey. These missionaries will celebrate as they continue their journey into the next 100 years to share God’s love and the Gospel in combating poverty, providing healthcare, building communities and promoting human rights.
Windmills From Minnesota, Nebraska, Australia
When Minnesota farmers converted to electricity, many donated their windmills to Father Ohmann. Others were purchased from Nebraska, Australia and South Africa to support Tanzania’s initiative to ensure all homes had access to water. Government inefficiencies, though, eventually closed the windmills for 15 years.
Father Ohmann was committed to get them pumping again and more were installed. Twenty windmills now provide water to 18 villages. Each fills a 2,000-gallon tank and water can be used to irrigate gardens and orchards. A fully installed system today costs about $20,000.
“People enjoy better health in the villages served by clean water,” said Father Ohmann. Diarrhea and cholera, once common, are now rare.”
Sources
- The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
- United Nations
Mike Virgintino - Mike Virgintino is a marketing communications executive who has directed corporate, nonprofit and product branding initiatives that rely ...
