The wells are part of the Mining for Water campaign, which Orezone helped launch at the 2004 convention of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, held in Toronto.
The program is designed to improve the quality of life for people in developing countries by using the drill rigs of mining companies to gain access to potable water. Mining for Water was inspired by Ryan Hreljac, 14, of Kemptville, Ont., who started Ryan’s Well Foundation. A non-profit organization, Ryan’s Well has raised more than $1 million and drilled 168 wells in seven countries.
“UNICEF says that eighty per cent of sickness and death among children is caused by water-related diseases — that’s almost four million deaths every year,” says Hreljac. “Exploration and mining companies can help because they are already working in developing countries and have powerful drills and experienced crews.”
Mining for Water is seeking financial contributions. The $100,000 program by Orezone includes geophysical and hydrological surveys, well-drilling, pumping equipment, and funding for an organization founded by the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, which will provide training in sanitation, hygiene, and well-maintenance.
The five villages affected are near Orezone’s Bondigui project. Ron Little, the company’s president and CEO, says Ottawa-based Orezone will drill other wells near its properties in Burkina Faso, as well as in Mali and Niger.
Burkina Faso is in West Africa between Ghana and Mali. In 1984, it changed its name from Upper Volta to its current form, which translates as “land of honest men.” Burkina Faso recently qualified to participate in the debt forgiveness program announced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Earlier this year, Mining for Water recognized the contributions of
For more information, visit www.miningforwater.com
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