Canadian man commits to providing water for Third World countries

Published: 2005-06-29

TORONTO (CNS) -- A southern Ontario Catholic has committed himself to providing fresh water for residents of Guatemala and other parts of the developing world. Ted van der Zalm of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, recently returned from an eight-month expedition to the Jalapa region of southeastern Guatemala, where he drilled wells to provide clean drinking water for as many as 16,000 people. Van der Zalm was accompanied by his wife and five children, plus 12 other supporters of the well-drilling operation, dubbed the Wells of Hope project. Traveling in a caravan of vans, school buses and trailers, the team set out last October on a 2,300-mile journey from southern Ontario to Guatemala. With several new wells up and running in Guatemala, the 19-person crew returned to Ontario in June. However, van der Zalm said he plans to return to Guatemala to drill more wells in October.

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