Our Mission : Our Motivation : Our Methods

Convenient access to clean, potable water is something Americans take for granted. For many of the indigenous people of rural Kenya, having convenient access to water for drinking, cooking, and bathing is a luxury they cannot afford. They live without hope of their children escaping desperate poverty. So much of their time and energy must be spent seeking and transporting clean water that education and positive societal change cannot be pursued. They suffer from many diseases and illnesses that are unheard of in our country. Ironically, the clean water many of these people need is flowing directly below their villages in underground aquifers that are inaccessible due to a lack of technical knowledge and equipment.

Salama International is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the indigenous people of Kenya with this technical knowledge and equipment. Salama is a Swahili word which means “peace and prosperity.” By helping to provide Kenyan children and their families with convenient access to potable water, we are making their hope for future peace and prosperity a present reality.

Our Motivation : Our Mission : Our Methods

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” James 1:27 (NIV)

It is our belief that the most important task of any person, organization, society, or government is to help the helpless. The United States - the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world - was largely founded on this belief. Nearly all of the major world religions embrace this belief. And the life and teachings of Christ, which have done the most to ease the suffering of oppressed people, command the practical application of this belief.

Our Methods : Our Mission : Our Motivation

Our methods for locating, drilling, operating, and maintaining wells have been used successfully in three separate villages in rural Kenya.

Locating Wells: Surveys are performed by geotechnical engineers to identify the best location for a well within close proximity to a village.

Drilling Wells: Once located, the equipment needed for drilling a well must be transported to the remote site and assembled.

Equipping Wells: Pumps, valves, plumbing and other components must be selected and installed in accordance with the drinking water needs of a specific village. Pumps are purchased, transported to the remote area, and assembled under the supervision of skilled labor.

Operating Wells: Local villagers are provided with the training they need to effectively operate the wells.

Maintaining Wells: Preventive and unscheduled maintenance on well equipment is accomplished by a cooperative effort between Salama International and the villagers.

Salama International is presently leading a well-drilling project in Kenya that will benefit thousands of children. The project was kicked off in 2003 with a trip to Kenya by several of Salama’s board of directors and benefactors to assess the needs of several communities. Participants in this trip included:

Samson Makumi – CEO of Salama International
Lloyd Rice – Benefactor & Owner of Aquasoft
Brian Glass
Robin Keys
Tom Spenser
Spensere Meckstroph
Helen Boit

To date, geotechnical surveys have identified the ideal location and minimum depth required for a well in one of the communities visited in Kenya. Lloyd Rice – president of a West Palm Beach, Florida residential water treatment company called Aquasoft, has provided substantial financial backing to the project by donating two high through-put pumps for the wells. You can call Lloyd directly to discuss the project, as well as the cost and nature of additional resources required to complete this project.