With this extra height we realized that a raised stand for the tank would not be necessary since we would be able to achieve good water pressure throughout the village from this hilltop.

We also looked at the possibility of drilling in that area if hole #2 proved to be unsuccessful, and picked out a possible spot for hole #3.  

By noon, hole #2 was at more than 20 feet and with no hint of water yet, so all we agreed that it would be best to try the next location. Once we were set up at hole #3, one group of villagers began drilling while the others went for lunch, an arrangement that we used every day, in order to keep making progress on the well.

By mid-afternoon we were back to about 20 feet deep again, and had a couple of feet of water. Again, progress slowed when we hit hard material, but by day's end we had about 6 feet of water, still not enough, but a good start.

With most of the men there, including the Chairman and Alcalde, we held a brief meeting on Sunday afternoon while drilling continued. They all agreed that they would continue drilling in shifts over the next several days/weeks as long as they didn't encounter any rocks which would stop them, and that they would finish clearing the trail to the village to a width that would permit them to carry in large water tanks. We told them that we would be back in a few weeks to work with them on the next phase of the project, installing the tank and pipes. 

During our stay in the village we were camped near the Health Post, and Sedric slept there while Abib used his tent and Gary had his camping hammock slung between two nearby trees. The fruit which fell from these trees proved to be popular with the village pigs which are not penned, so Abib and Gary had regular nighttime visits from their porcine friends who seemed even busier at night than during the day. When do they sleep?

Our meals, which we paid for, were provided by a different village woman each day and we ate at their homes.

A large stack of corn tortillas came with each meal, and were not only a major part of the food, but also the main way to convey the food from bowl to mouth.

In addition to tortillas, there were eggs, or beans or fish or chicken caldo (pieces of chicken in a spicy broth), depending on the meal. 

With all of the physical activity, we had hearty appetites and ate well, though vegetables were completely missing.

Our second trip to Graham Creek, with the same participants also went well. We delivered tanks, pipes, cement and sand to the end of the road and, over the next few days, all of that was carried back to the village using four horses and many men.

We tested the well (hole#3), which had been deepened to about 35 feet, with a small solar pump that we had carried in, but the rate at which the well refilled was far from being adequate for a village system.

Using Sedric's magnet, we managed to retrieve the chisel bit which we had lost down hole #1 on the previous visit. We also selected a location for the water tanks, cleared it and built forms for pouring a tank stand on the ground at a high point above the village. 

Sedric (the Slasher) used a machete to clear straight(ish) lines through the bush by following the shouts of a boy standing where we wanted the pipes to come out.

We marked out the lines with pegs, string and ribbons and then the pipes were laid out along those lines where the water mains will be buried. 

We demonstrated how pipes should be cut and glued, and how deep the trenches for the pipes should be dug.

The pipes could then be glued together and placed in the trenches but covering them will wait until we have water in the system to test for any leaks.

Since returning from trip two, we now have access to a small motorized drilling rig, and we're waiting for a drill bit which can drill through stone.

We plan to have this carried back to the village in pieces to be re-assembled there so that we can deepen hole #1, which we now feel has a better chance of reaching water.

It is located more centrally where the solar panels will be more visible to the village and more secure as a result.

There still appear to be some skeptics in the village, not all of them belonging to one church. This may be because they have been promised so many things over the years, both by politicians as well as by other well-intentioned groups, many of which have failed to deliver on their promises.

This wait-and-see attitude may slow down, or even stop the digging of trenches until we can show them a reliable water source, but we hope they will keep at it so we can see some real progress on our next visit, planned for immediately following Easter weekend.

On that trip we plan to deepen the well and, we hope, find a dependable source of clean water, pour a concrete slab for the water tanks, and help them to complete the laying out of the water mains.

During our final project visit we will install solar panels, sink a submersible pump into the well to begin filling the tanks, and help the villagers to connect pipes for individual homes.

Following that, representatives from the Belize Rural Development Program will go the village to train them on how to set up a village Water Board, how to maintain the system, treat the water, set rates and collect fees to ensure the sustainability of the system if/when components fail.

So far this has been a very satisfying and interesting project and we’re looking forward to completing it soon, before the rains set in this summer. Many thanks to our funders, the Rotary Club of Kitsap-Kingston, along with The Rotary Foundation and Vegfam for giving us the opportunity to carry out this project.