Well Details

A Few More Details:

The cost of the water well is $1,752. Additionally Paypal charges us a 2.9% plus USD $0.30 charge per payment for using their secure site, causing us to have to add an estimated $100. For the sake of round numbers though, we're going with $1850 as our total goal. 100% of money raised goes to Rituparna Mandal and her village for a new, modern well (minus Paypal). Everyone working on this site is doing so on a strictly volunteer basis only.

Below are the details from Childern International Assistant Vice President, Vickie Wiedenmann.

-----Original Message-----
From: Vickie Wiedenmann
Sent: Thu 8/25/2005 4:10 PM
To: Anastasia Yecke; Palana, Kristen
Subject: Updated information!

#1 -- Below is the information I received on the little girl from India who, along with many others in her village, will benefit from a new water source:

Rituparna Mandal is an 11 year old girl living with her parents and younger sister in the village of Khordanahala. Rituparna has been in our sponsorship program since 1999 and is currently sponsored. She and her family live in a two-room house built of brick walls, tile roof and concrete floor. Her father is a street vendor, earning about $33 per month.

Rituparna is in 7th grade and goes to school on a regular basis. She enjoys school and her dreams are to continue her education beyond high school. She also helps her mother with household chores like cleaning, washing and fetching water. The only source of drinking water available to the family is located about a quarter of a mile from their home -- quite a distance when you're carrying heavy buckets of water! The rest of the household water (for cleaning and bathing) is drawn from a nearby pond. Many people bath in the pond, wash clothes and utensils and also use the same water to cook. Due to regular usage and no maintenance of the pond, the water is often contaminated which leads to stomach-related illnesses.

Most of the people in this village are daily laborers and their monthly incomes vary in range from $25-35. They are in desperate need of a new tubewell. The preliminary cost of a new well (which must be placed at a depth of 1000 feet), along with a concrete platform surrounding the well, is $1,752.

Quote from Kakoli Mandal (Rituparana's mother) -- "Everyday I have to walk very far to fetch drinking water. I find it very difficult to carry the heavy buckets of water, but I do it so that my family can have safe water. If this tubewell stops functioning, we will not have any other option but to have water from the pond."

Quote from Rituparna -- "I see my mother struggling to carry water home and therefore, I help her. We face alot of difficulties without a tubewell nearby and therefore sometimes we have to use the water from the pond."

#2 -- Construction on the Rojas house is in full swing. I'll have more information to share with you soon!