All arrangements to oversee the drilling and construction of the well were handled by Fr. Odilon and the Society of African Missionaries.  In October 2017 Fr. Odilon formally blessed the well and the people of Datcha celebrated the gift of clean water in their community!

Click HERE to download a .pdf article about St. Meinrad professor, Dr. Kimberly Baker, and her efforts to bring clean water and improved sanitation to Datcha village!

Datcha Well Project :  SOLIDARITY in West Africa

WATER IS LIFE!

One of Baker's (then) students (now) Fr. Philippe Neri Tchalou, OSB,  heard her give a presentation on her experiences in Haiti and her collaboration with organizations doing community development there.  He approached her later to ask if she could help his home village of Datcha acquire a well.  She agreed to try.

A Google search helped her locate a potential collaborator - Fr. Odilon Kofi, SMA.  At her request Rich in Mercy agreed to be a fiscal sponsor for the project, guaranteeing that 100% of funds raised by Baker would be applied directly to the project.

Datcha is a small, rural village in Togo (West Africa)..  Like rural communities in Haiti and like other villages in Africa, accessing water in Datcha is a constant preoccupation and a daily struggle.  In 2016 Datcha had no well of its own.  Each morning women in Datcha had to a neighboring village where they could draw water from a privately owned well.  Thus, in addition to a long walk, they had to pay someone else for water.  A collaboration between Rich in Mercy and Kimberly Baker, PhD, a long-time RIM supporter changed that!

​Promoting a global culture of solidarity with the poor - in Haiti, Africa, and beyond. - for a more just and sustainable world   .  .  .