The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Missions Group Seeking Rig To Aid People Dying Of Thirst

By Danny Lewis
January 5, 2001


How'd you like to live in an area where normal rainfall is only three inches a year and have to face a devastating drought for two years?

That's exactly the situation today in western Kenya, where up to 850,000 people are struggling to exist in the bone-dry region.

"Hundreds of people a day are dropping dead from thirst. I spent 22 years in the Marines and nothing in my experiences there compares with what I've seen for the past five years in Kenya," said Ed Hirshman, secretary for Harvesters International.

The group is an interdenominational mission effort founded by a group of businessmen from throughout the US in 1978. Harvesters International has been working since 1988 with the Pokot people who inhabit the arid, drought-ravaged area of Kenya near the border with Uganda in Africa's Upper Rift Valley.

To find water, Hirshman said the Pokot people are being forced to dig holes into dry riverbeds to try to locate enough muddy water for them and their livestock.

"They need a better quality of water that's not as hard to locate," he said.

Harvesters International, which is based in Hilton Head, SC, currently owns one old drilling rig it purchased earlier from the Corps of Engineers, but Hirshman said the rig cannot drill to a sufficient depth in the parched earth to access groundwater supplies known to be in the area.

The group is hoping to find someone who would be willing to donate a drilling rig to Harvesters International so more wells can be drilled to help alleviate the severe water shortage in the region. The donation would be tax deductible, he added.

"We know there is water in the area, but we don't have the capability of going deep enough with our current rig to get to it. We want to find a better rig," he said.

Hirshman said the group, which drilled some wells in the area with the old rig, but has begun hitting dry holes due to the drought, is seeking a mid-size rig similar to an Ingersoll-Rand TH10. He said the rugged terrain in the area would make it difficult to use a larger rig and it would be more expensive to ship to the region. The cost of shipping a rig to Kenya probably would exceed $9,000, Hirshman added.

He said the organization has checked with other groups about helping them with drilling wells and the cheapest price they found was $31,000, plus having to be on a waiting list to have wells drilled for that amount.

"We are not opposed to trying to raise money to buy a rig, but with all we're trying to do, it makes it difficult to afford it," he said.

Anyone who might be interested in donating a drilling rig to Harvesters International can contact Hirshman by phone at 843-861-6698 or via e-mail at edgrace@hargray.com

He said Harvesters International, in partnership with other national ministries, has previously established a Bible college, assisted a large orphanage, helped establish churches and train pastors to work in the area and provides medical aid to people in the water-starved region.

Hirshman said the area where Harvesters International is now focusing its efforts in conjunction with the Pokot Outreach Ministry program is so remote many of the Pokots have never seen a white person or a paved road and 99% of them are illiterate. The Pokot Outreach Ministry is led by Julius Murgor, a Kenyan and Pokot who has been ministering to the Pokots since 1988.

Hirshman said the lives of the Pokots revolve around their livestock.

"The people are nomadic and they are constantly moving their goats, camels and cows looking for water. They usually dig into the riverbeds to find water but because of the severe drought for the past two years, there is even less water than usual," he said.

"Water is a lifeline for their animals, which are the most important things they have. Their whole worth is tied up in their animals and they would sacrifice their own life to protect their animals."

Due to the severe water shortage, the goats, cows, and camels are also serving as a lifeline for the Pokot people, Hirshman added.

"Right now the people are living off the milk from their goats and cows. They have a way of tapping into a cow's artery and draining some of the cow's blood which they mix with the milk," he said. "It's not a matter of how many meals they eat per day, it's a matter of how many days they go before they eat. People are literally dying of hunger and thirst and others are just wandering aimlessly."

Hirshman said many of the older wells in the area have gone dry during the drought or have become inoperable because their pumps have failed or due to other problems.

He said there is little hope for assistance from the Kenyan government, which is considered the third most corrupt in the world.

"When other countries try to help, by the time the aid gets to the people it's supposed to help, there's nothing left," Hirshman added.

"It's hard to talk to someone about how God loves you and cares for you when you're starving to death or dying of thirst," he said. "We realize what we're trying to do is only a drop in the bucket, but perhaps that drop will have a ripple effect and will touch many others."

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Danny Lewis is the former editor of The Driller.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    The Underground Network
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Water
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Bess Cutter Doesn't Need A Drilling Rig To Find Water

    See More
  • HDD Rigs Asked to Work Smarter, Faster

    See More
  • Neglect Often Cause of Deaths and Injuries

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP