I don’t watch much TV these days, but there was a time when volunteering to dig wells in underprivileged countries like those in Africa was quite popular. Being skeptical of donation and volunteer organizations, I used to think, “Wow, how much did they actually spend to dig such a shabby well?” whenever I watched those broadcasts.
Recently, I got curious about how much money was really spent on digging a single well back then, and whether those wells, built with so much money, are still in use today.
A quick search revealed that the cost of digging a well isn’t that high. Generally, it costs about $800 to $1200 to dig one well, which is around 960,000 to 1,440,000 KRW. However, there’s a catch: to dig a well properly using a drilling rig to ensure sufficient depth and prevent contamination, it actually costs around $4000, about 4,800,000 KRW.
To save money, they dug shallow wells, which is why it only cost that much. Shallow wells, dug to save money, don’t last long. In Cambodia, for example, there are countless such useless wells scattered across the country.
The amount, 4,000,000 KRW, might seem large, but considering the vast sums of money these organizations collect every year, it’s puzzling why they couldn’t spend that much to build a well properly (how much are they skimming off the top?).
They excuse it by saying that drilling rigs can’t reach these remote areas due to poor road conditions. If that’s the case, instead of wasting money on ineffective wells, wouldn’t it be better to build roads first?
I believe they have another reason for focusing on well-digging.
Isn’t “well-digging” a perfect performance?
Working with numerous volunteers to provide a village with something as essential for survival as water by building a well – it’s a powerful image. Seeing the physical result, a well, right before their eyes, can evoke more emotion from the villagers than any other activity.
But did building a well provide a fundamental solution to their problems? And are we sure all those donations were diligently spent on building the well?
If they truly aimed to solve fundamental problems, they should have built roads for villages with poor road conditions and fewer, deeper wells, even if it meant fewer wells overall.
However, they didn’t do that. To promote their work more widely, they only dug shallow, useless wells. As a result, villagers suffered more from diseases caused by contaminated water.
This is why I despise volunteer organizations that engage in activities like digging a few wells, building mud houses, and picking up trash. While I can’t criticize the volunteers who spend their time and labor on these activities, the organizations and their staff deserve criticism.
One might ask, “If these volunteer activities are wrong, what should be done to help struggling communities and the environment?” and accuse me of merely criticizing without offering solutions.
Here’s my subjective answer:
Most donations should be invested in scientific advancements and education. For water scarcity issues, investments should be made in developing technologies that can easily purify and sanitize water, and basic hygiene education should be provided to fundamentally solve the problem. While this may not be as immediately impactful as building a well, if the goal is to genuinely solve water scarcity, investing in science and education is the right path.
Most issues can be solved through scientific advancement and educational opportunities. However, looking at the behavior of various aid, donation, and volunteer organizations, it seems they want these tragic situations around the world to persist. After all, their existence relies on these problems continuing.
So, I cautiously say to those who, after seeing TV ads, donate their hard-earned money to these conscience-stricken volunteer organizations (most of which are likely this way):
If you seek personal comfort from the thought of helping others, I won’t stop you from donating. But know that no matter how much you donate to these organizations, the lives of those in need will not improve. The organizations you give your money to don’t want it to.