Stutzman Services has begun to develop a special relationship with the people of Belize. Three times in the last four years, we have sent a Journeyman Plumber to a school there to help teach local young men the plumbing trade. Then a couple months ago, co-owners Kevin Konzelman and Dale Aerni went down to learn more about another need.
Related: Teaching a Trade and Changing Lives
People in the village of Santa Familia have been drinking water pulled from the Belize River without any treatment or purification. It’s not just inconvenient, it’s potentially very dangerous. After spending a couple days there in April to evaluate the situation first-hand, they decided to return with a solution.
So next week, all three co-owners of Stutzman Services will travel again to Belize—joining a team of other construction professionals—to use our well pump, water treatment and plumbing skills to install a custom-designed, reliable system for providing clean, safe drinking water for the people of Santa Familia.
A well is being drilled in the middle of the village and we are bringing the pump and water treatment equipment and tools in suitcases. We will also be training some local folks on how to maintain the system after our departure. The goal is to learn from this project and then create a repeatable system to help many more get clean, safe water. It is just one way we are giving back to our community and world. We call it connecting people to life.
Three Albany churches have agreed to provide support for this endeavor. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit the website of The Grove Church and select “Belize Water Fund” from the dropdown menu.
Watch for another update coming soon!
