The story of the Reinicke Family’s vision to provide clean water to those in need starts with Vertus and Genevieve Reinicke. Aaron’s parents decided to give away a good portion of their estate and have each of their children directly involved in deciding how.

Reinicke Family

Aaron and Melinda and their five children, Nathan, Garrett, Biniam, Natalie, and Kuri decided to fund water wells in the developing world. Their first well was drilled in Ethiopia in 2016 to honor Biniam and Kuri, their two Ethiopian adoptees. Natalie was adopted as a baby from Korea. In 2018 the second well was dug in Uganda. Digging wells makes you crazy happy.

In August 2019 Nathan and Garrett accompanied Aaron with a team of 12 to San Antonio, El Salvador to personally assist in drilling the third well.

Aaron and Melinda have co-directed RCA Counseling, a Christian Counseling center for over 30 years. Melinda recently retired to concentrate on her writing career and Aaron is working a bit less in order to devote time to bringing fresh water to the world.

Aaron’s vision is to build a movement of kind-hearted, tough minded people who together will challenge themselves and change the world by providing fresh clean water to the world. The impact we seek is to bring clean water to communities where there is none and thereby transform individuals, families, and communities. Jump in and join us… the water’s great!

Three of our five children are international adoptees. In 2005 Melinda and I added Biniam age 11 and Kuri age 6 to our family from Ethiopia. We decided to honor them by blessing the community of Wamura Seko Kebele. This community was home to 70 families, a primary school of 953 students, and a health clinic. Unfortunately, despite its ability to provide for medical needs and education for its residents, the community was lacking the one essential need to survive—safe water.

The families depended primarily on a nearby river or a few hand-dug wells for the water they required for drinking, cooking, bathing, and cleaning. These unprotected water sources were susceptible to contamination, and as a result, residents frequently suffered from water-related illnesses. Dysentery from drinking the untreated water was common, as was malaria, resulting from the malaria-carrying mosquitoes that made their homes near the river and other open water sources. Typhoid and respiratory infections also were frequent. Students missed valuable education time, suffering at home from the water-related illnesses.

Desperate for answers, the community leaders contacted Living Water International to request assistance with a safe water well in their community. The field team arrived and set up the drilling equipment at Wamura Seko Primary School. The residents were actively engaged in the water project, providing locally available materials, assisting with labor, offering security for the drilling equipment, and preparing food for the team throughout the work. Everyone celebrated as the project became a huge success!

Five men and four women were selected to make up the village’s water committee, and they were tasked with caring for the hand pump and well site. The residents also determined to collect a small user fee each month from every family. The funds were saved for any future pump maintenance needs.

Through these hygiene and sanitation training sessions, community members learned about disease transmission, healthy and unhealthy communities, proper handwashing techniques, and latrine perception. Residents learned how to make handwashing devices from locally available materials that would allow them to wash their hands properly while conserving water. They also practiced properly caring for the pump and the best methods for collecting and storing water. The residents were thankful to Living Water, WeGetWater.org and to God for the new well!

When we walked to the “spring” it turned out to be a swampy mudhole. I asked more questions and learned that whenever they drank this dirty water, kids were sick more and absentee rates at school were higher. I found out from the ministry founder that he had been planning a well for sometime and had already chosen a contractor to do it. The “huge pricetag” of $6000 had put the project on hold. At that point I had $2000 USD in our well account and I immediately pledged it. The other $4000 USD came in very quickly (I’m not sure how) and within 3 months the well was successfully completed!

Now they are getting 10,000 liters of clear clean water per day. This benefits over 600 children in the school (of which 60 live fulltime in the orphanage). About 555 additional people in the village are provided water as well.

Ssempa Peter and his wife Ruth, the orphanage and school directors, tell us:

1. Water borne related disease has reduced in the whole community
2. Academic performance has increased since children no longer need to leave class to go to swamps to collect water for their school
3. Accidents on the roads are reduced since children no longer walk long distances to collect water
4. Incomes have increased as the plentiful water is used to make bricks to sell
5. The trade school currently under construction is being built exclusively with bricks constructed with the water the well supplies. This trade school is a key to the future economic development in the village.

Isn’t it amazing what a simple $2000 act of kindness can do? And remember this gift was actually made up of dozens of smaller gifts. Many of us together changed the course of an entire community! I am hooked on encouraging generosity in each of you in order that we can enjoy how good it feels to be doing something truly significant with our lives!

EL SALVADOR VILLAGE CELEBRATING

WELL BUILDING TEAM

You can view the official well report produced by Living Water International here:
Living Water International Well Report

THANK YOU!

We are so grateful to God for the opportunity to serve the community of San Antonio, El Salvador and for all they gave to us as we got to know them.