On a chilly Saturday morning, we arrived at Barthélemy’s house. Although it was only 7 a.m., his wife Juliet had already collected their water for the day and was busy preparing breakfast. As their nine children gathered around the fire, Barthélemy shared a little of his story.
At 29 years old, Barthélemy is the most recent addition to our Moto Maintenance Team, serving as a team leader. He started at Water for Good in 2009 as the installer of the cement slabs that are used on the water pumps. As a long-standing employee, he appreciates the thankfulness people show toward working pumps and how that saves the villagers from “drinking from the forest.”
WHEN REFLECTING ON HIS TIME WITH WATER FOR GOOD…
Barthélemy recalls a scary moment in 2014 when the civil war in the CAR was going on. While he and his co-worker, Jean-Baptiste, were working on a maintenance route, their truck was hijacked by the rebels. Jean-Baptiste was forced to become their driver, leaving behind Barthélemy, who was placed in jail. The next day, he was able to break down the door and escaped. After hiding out for a week, he was able to make it back to Bangui just in time to get a passport and anxiously awaited news about Jean-Baptiste’s safety which came a few days later.
As a member of the Moto Maintenance Team, he has been impressed with the impact this team has already made. Barthélemy believes the biggest advantage is their ability to respond rapidly, which means the wells are repaired faster and the team is more efficient. Before, he traveled up to 21 days to maintain wells. He is excited to help out villages more quickly and still be home to help his kids with their homework.
Barthélemy thanks you for helping finance the Moto Maintenance program and making clean water possible. He is grateful to be a part of finding the solution for bringing clean water to his country, the CAR.
