A few months ago, Haiti suffered serious riots, kidnappings, violence and the needless destruction of property. Two ministry partners there reported disturbing events. One had a team of well drillers kidnapped at a gang’s hideout and held at gunpoint for hours. Only when the community leader saw they were there to help their village, were they released. Water opens doors to peace and the gospel. Another ministry reported their drilling truck was seized by rebels who then used it to block the road and even slashed all the tires, immobilizing the truck and stranding the workers. With machetes in hand, the rebels were not to be argued with.
Remote monitoring of pumps by our SonSetLink™ began as a simple tool to report pump performance, breakdowns and schedule maintenance. Some other good purposes have been to report to donors how their investment is making a difference, and to let pump owners discover the realistic needs of a community. But, unexpectedly to SonSet Solutions, monitors have been beneficial during times of crisis. Ministries can be assured that their remotely monitored pumps are working and they do not need to put their workers in harm’s way to check pumps. When political upheaval unfolds, and even with the recent COVID restrictions on travel, our monitors offer a layer of protection to workers by saving unnecessary — and often dangerous — travel for ministry partners.
Clean water opens the door for the gospel, and that saved workers held at gunpoint and stranded by a damaged truck when their good work in providing water was understood by rebels. With a SonSetLink unit monitoring a pump, we hope to contribute to further minimizing risks for workers who can see pump operation from the safety of their base of operations.
Written by Stephen Peacock