What the price of your well covers

Surveying the village and studying the ground

Before the machines even arrive, work is done upstream to identify the areas where the need for water is real and to determine the best place to drill.

Our teams talk with residents and local officials, study ground conditions, assess how accessible the area is and work out the most suitable solution for each village.

Where necessary, local formalities and permits are handled before work begins.

This first stage matters: a well that lasts always starts with good preparation.

The drilling, the equipment and the materials

Building a well takes serious technical means.

The price covers the drilling rig, getting it to the site, the fuel the work requires, the casing, the filter pack, the building materials, the cement, the protective slab, the drainage channels and the pumping system.

Every element counts. The quality of the materials and of the workmanship determines how solid, how safe and how durable the well will be.

Our aim is not simply to bring water up, but to build an installation designed to last.

The teams who make each project possible

Behind every well there are women and men.

Drillers, masons, labourers, drivers, field managers and coordinators each take part at different stages of the project.

Each of them brings time, skill and experience so the work can be carried out in good conditions.

These teams are paid for their work.

Wherever possible, Goutte d'Espoir also favours local workers and partners, so that projects create economic activity directly in the areas where we operate.

Transport and the whole logistics chain

It is one of the least visible parts of a project, and one of the most important.

The villages concerned can be several hours from the nearest city, in rural areas or at the end of tracks that are hard to reach.

The rig, the tools, the materials, the equipment and the teams all have to be brought to the site.

Depending on the area, that can mean several vehicles, long journeys, extra days of work or a particular arrangement to reach the village at all.

That is also why the cost of a well cannot be compared to the price of materials alone: a large part of the work consists of making the site possible where it actually has to be built.

Following the work and the evidence it produces

Our commitment does not stop at construction.

Every site is followed up to check how it is progressing and that it is being built properly.

Our teams go out to the site, arrange for photographs and video, and gather everything needed to document the project.

Once the well is finished, that material is sent to you so you can see exactly what has been built.

This follow-up and documentation also takes travel, time and coordination, and it is fully part of what we owe our customers.

The organisation behind every well

A site you can see on the ground rests on an organisation that is far less visible.

Orders have to be received and tracked, work planned, teams coordinated, suppliers managed, travel arranged, payments followed, the unexpected dealt with, and customers supported throughout the project.

On top of that come bank and payment fees, digital tools, administration, customer service, communication, and the continuous development and improvement of how we work.

This structure is what allows Goutte d'Espoir to operate all year round, to strengthen its teams and to steadily increase how much it can take on.