A charitable foundation run by building services components supplier, Brymec, has teamed up with Fields of Life to build the first of many wells which will deliver clean water for villages and communities in East Africa.
The Brymec Foundation was established to formally fulfil one of the company's core objectives - helping others. Throughout the past year, the company has organised events and promoted the foundation to support this cause.
Brymec has supplied building services components to some of the UK's most impressive structures, including the ‘Walkie Talkie' building in London and a multi-million-pound luxury student village in Salford.
Joe Morris, marketing co-ordinator at Brymec, said: 'Contractors rely on us to supply the components they need, on site and on time. There's a great buzz in being relied on in this way and a sense of pride knowing that we have played a part in the development of some iconic architecture.
'But supporting the construction of a well in East Africa to supply clean drinking water that will save lives is a whole different kind of excitement and pride that we're also keen to explore further.'
Brymec donates regularly to charities including the British Red Cross, Barnado's, The Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation and Chart, and several members of staff give up spare time to provide relief aid around Europe.
Mr Morris explained: 'Helping others is one of our company's core values and we're used to being very proactive at work, so we constantly look for opportunities where we can offer our support. This first well is just the beginning of our involvement with Fields of Life, but we're excited and committed to making a real difference.'
Debbie Cameron, head of development and fundraising at Fields of Life, added: 'It's wonderful to be working in partnership with the Brymec team. I was blown away by just how engaged and committed to the project everybody was, from the head of sales to the finance team and everybody else.
'We have received the funding and the project is now on the drilling schedule. We have just committed to drill 44 holes in the Tororo district of Eastern Uganda, one of which will be Brymec's first well. Once the drilling starts it takes about five days to drill the well. Next, the water is taken for sample checking and then it is all capped off. Finally, the drainage system is put in place for any overflow.'
Fields of Life is a charity that collaborates with local communities in East Africa to bring about positive change through the provision of quality education, clean water, health promotion and other community-based projects.
Many communities survive by drinking contaminated water, which often leads to diseases like bilharzia, cholera, and typhoid.
Fields of Life has provided impoverished communities with clean water since 2009. Its dedicated water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) team, drilling team and water partners work to drill 10 to 12 wells each month. This resulted in it bringing clean water to an additional 268 people each day in 2016.