Armoy, Drumtullagh & All Saints raise £7,500 for a well in East Africa

Tuesday September 10th 2024

Parish representatives from St Patrick’s, Armoy, Drumtullagh & All Saints present cheques to the value of £7,500 to Helen D’Arcy from Fields of Life. From left to right: Back Row. Canon Chris Easton, Leonard Quigg (Drumtullagh). Front Row: Melanie Dougherty (All Saints) Helen D’Arcy (Fields of Life) and Beth Dowey (St Patrick’s, Armoy)

The Parishes of St Patrick’s, Armoy, Drumtullagh & All Saints have raised an incredible £7,500 to fund the drilling of a well in East Africa.

Representatives of the parishes recently presented cheques for this sum to Helen D’Arcy from Fields of Life.

The rector, the Rev Canon Chris Easton, said: “For a number of months parishioners have been running events and saving 20ps and £1 coins in plastic water bottles to raise funds to drill a well in an isolated communty in East Africa.

“The parishes have for several years sponsored three children through Fields of Life, providing them with school uniforms, books and the fees for their education. But they wanted to do more.

“Access to clean water and sanitation is a basic human right denied globally to one in three people. We just take fresh water for granted and think nothing of simply turning on the tap. We wanted to change that for some. “

As Fields of Life has its own drilling equipment, focused on bringing sustainable, long-term solutions, the support from parishes like Armoy, Drumtullagh & All Saints will not only bring life-saving water to hundreds of people but will also, the charity says, ‘create meaningful, sustainable change and give hope and health for the long-term.

Alongside drilling the borehole well, Fields of Life also provides:

Water, sanitation and hygiene training
Water user committee and handpump mechanic training
Bibles
Environmental protection
Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

Fields of Life is committed to establishing and training a VSLA group in every community where it drills a borehole. These small, member-run microfinancing groups enable those living in poverty to build savings and take out loans at low interest rates. They also create opportunities for families to generate income to feed their families and send their children to school.