For the first time, 35,000 villagers in northern Tanzania had fresh, clean water readily available to them, writes Connie Connolly for The Star Democrat.

That thirst-quenching miracle in February came about because of 79-year-old Kenny Wood in partnership with David Powell, who ran a small rock well-drilling organization in Media Borough.

Women used to trek two to five miles to water holes. They lowered plastic buckets into the muddy water, then hoisted the buckets onto their heads for the trip home.

The water was used for cooking, washing, rinsing, bathing and drinking.

Since drilling his first well In Ghana in 2006, Wood has made it his mission in the past 16 years to provide clean drinking water for people in Ghana and Tanzania.

He and Powell co-founded the nonprofit Lifetime Wells International, merging Wood’s Lifetime Wells for Ghana with Powell’s Wells for Relief International out of Media.

As of December 2022, the two men’s teams have drilled over 3,000 wells in Ghana and Tanzania, providing fresh water to over a million people.

“It’s hard to figure a word” to describe the feeling, Wood said. “It’s just appreciation and happiness knowing that they’re going to get water.”

Read more about these clean water wells at The Star Democrat.

Find out more about the work of Lifetime Wells International.