Living Water International

Living Water International is a faith-based nonprofit organization focused on improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in communities affected by inadequate infrastructure and extreme poverty. Founded in Houston, Texas, in 1990 after a group of visitors to Kenya encountered the scale of the clean-water challenge, the organization developed an approach that combines practical infrastructure with local training, community participation, and health education. Its work centers on the development and maintenance of community water systems. Activities include drilling new boreholes and wells, rehabilitating non-functioning wells, harvesting rainwater and other water resources, and supporting systems intended to remain operational after an initial project is completed. The organization also works on sanitation and hygiene behavior, including hand-washing education and the preparation of oral rehydration solutions. This places Living Water within the broader water, sanitation, and hygiene, or WASH, field rather than limiting it to well construction. Living Water's early technical development was influenced by Harry Westmoreland Jr., who had experience in seismic drilling. After seeing the difficulty of drilling a water well in Peru in 1989, Westmoreland developed the LS 100, a portable drilling rig designed for transport by pickup truck or small boat and capable of drilling through soft formations. The organization later expanded the rig's capacity and used larger conventional equipment where geological conditions required it. This combination of locally adaptable equipment, technical training, and field operations became an important part of its model. The organization's first overseas operation was Living Water Kenya, established in 1991 under a national board after a Kenyan drilling team had been equipped and trained. It subsequently expanded across Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. Countries associated with its operations include Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The organization reported that by 2024 it had completed more than 24,000 water projects, including new wells, water-harvesting initiatives, and rehabilitation of existing systems. Living Water has also participated in sector and faith-based partnerships. It was a founding member of the Millennium Water Alliance, a coalition working on global water and sanitation issues, and is a member of the 58 Alliance, a coalition of Christian organizations addressing extreme poverty. In 2006 it became a key partner in Advent Conspiracy, a church-based movement encouraging simpler gift-giving and redirecting some holiday spending toward assistance for people in need. The organization is headquartered in Houston and remains an active international nonprofit. Its public identity is built around combining Christian service with field engineering, community-led development, and public-health practices. Unlike a conventional consumer brand, Living Water International's principal offerings are programs, technical services, training, and charitable interventions delivered through local and international partnerships.

Living Water International was established in Houston, Texas, in 1990 after a group from the area visited Kenya and saw the need for reliable access to clean drinking water. The founders organized the new entity as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit and sought to combine Christian mission activity with practical water-development work. Its first overseas program, Living Water Kenya, began operations in 1991 after the organization equipped and trained a Kenyan drilling team. The Kenya operation was placed under the direction of a national board, reflecting an early emphasis on local institutional participation rather than wholly centralized control from the United States. Technical drilling capability became a defining part of the organization's early history. Harry Westmoreland Jr., one of the co-founders, worked in the seismic drilling industry and had encountered the difficulty of developing a well during a 1989 visit to a missionary in Peru. He designed the LS 100, a portable rig intended to be moved in a pickup truck or small boat. The original rig could drill roughly 100 feet through soft formations. Westmoreland later increased its capacity so that it could reach approximately 200 to 300 feet in suitable soft ground. Where projects required drilling through rock, Living Water used larger traditional rigs. During the 1990s and 2000s, Living Water expanded beyond Kenya into Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Its work included drilling boreholes, restoring damaged or abandoned water systems, and helping communities develop the skills required to operate and maintain water infrastructure. In Kenya, the organization used external development financing to obtain additional drilling equipment. The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation reportedly provided a $200,000 loan that helped support the drilling of approximately 150 wells in Kenya in 2001. A further reported $100,000 loan in 2002 supported work that produced more than 200 wells in Ghana, while a $500,000 loan was reported in 2006 for Kenyan operations. These figures are historical financing references rather than current financial indicators. Living Water's scope broadened from physical water access to the wider WASH framework. In addition to wells and water systems, it promoted hygiene and sanitation practices intended to reduce disease and improve the health benefits of water access. Its educational activities have included hand-washing and the preparation of oral rehydration solutions. The organization presents community engagement, training, and sustainability as complements to engineering work, recognizing that a newly drilled well can fail to deliver lasting benefits without local ownership, maintenance, and appropriate health practices. The organization also developed relationships with sector-wide and faith-based coalitions. It was a founding member of the Millennium Water Alliance, a group of organizations working on international water and sanitation challenges. It later joined the 58 Alliance, a coalition of Christian organizations focused on reducing extreme poverty. In 2006 it became a key partner in Advent Conspiracy, a movement encouraging church members to reduce consumption during the Christmas season and redirect some gift-related spending toward people facing poverty. By 2024, Living Water reported more than 24,000 completed water projects. Its operating footprint included countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean, West and East Africa, and Southern Africa. The organization's continuing model combines drilling and rehabilitation with water harvesting, sanitation, hygiene education, local training, and partnerships. It remains headquartered in Houston and operates as an active faith-based international nonprofit rather than as a publicly traded commercial company.

• 2024

  More than 24,000 water projects reported

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Living Water reported cumulative completion of more than 24,000 projects, including wells, water harvesting, and rehabilitation work.

• 2006

  Advent Conspiracy partnership

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Living Water became a key partner in Advent Conspiracy, a movement linking simpler Christmas giving with support for people in need.

• 2002

  Ghana drilling supported by OPIC financing

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  A reported OPIC loan supported drilling activity in Ghana that produced more than 200 wells.

• 2001

  Kenya drilling supported by development financing

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Reported OPIC financing helped Living Water acquire equipment and drill approximately 150 wells in Kenya.

• 1991

  Living Water Kenya began operations

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The organization launched its first overseas program after training and equipping a Kenyan drilling team and establishing a national board.

• 1990

  Organization founded in Houston

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  A Houston-area group established Living Water International as a U.S. charitable organization after observing water needs in Kenya.

• 1989

  Portable LS 100 drilling rig developed

  [1]Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Harry Westmoreland Jr. developed a portable drilling rig after seeing the difficulty of constructing a water well during a visit to Peru.

A faith-based international WASH nonprofit positioned around sustainable, locally supported water access, practical drilling expertise, and community health education.

• Water infrastructure · 1990

  Community water wells and boreholes

  Living Water develops water points through borehole and well drilling in communities where conventional infrastructure is limited. The organization uses portable equipment for suitable soft formations and larger traditional rigs when geological conditions require them. Projects are generally paired with community participation and local training so that the infrastructure can continue serving residents after construction.

• Water infrastructure · 1990

  Water-system rehabilitation

  Rehabilitation is a major part of Living Water's work. Rather than treating new construction as the only solution, the organization repairs or restores non-working wells and existing water systems. This approach can return previously built infrastructure to service while addressing equipment, maintenance, or operational problems that prevent communities from using available water resources.

• Water infrastructure

  Water harvesting systems

  Living Water includes water harvesting among its project types. These systems help communities collect and use available precipitation or other local water resources, complementing groundwater development where drilling is impractical or where communities need more than a single water point.

• Public health and WASH education

  Sanitation and hygiene programs

  The organization's WASH programming addresses behavior and health alongside infrastructure. Activities include instruction in hand-washing, sanitation practices, and preparation of oral rehydration solutions. The purpose is to help communities convert improved water access into better health outcomes and reduce risks associated with unsafe water and poor hygiene.

• Technical services · 1991

  Drilling training and technical capacity-building

  Living Water has trained and equipped local drilling teams, beginning with its Kenyan program. This capacity-building element allows field operations to draw on national personnel and locally relevant institutions rather than depending entirely on visiting technical teams. It also supports the organization's emphasis on community and national ownership.

• 2006Advent Conspiracy

  United States · International Christian church networks

  Living Water became a key partner in Advent Conspiracy, a faith-based campaign encouraging people to give fewer and more intentional gifts and redirect some holiday spending toward assistance for people living in poverty.

  Outcome. The partnership connected Living Water's water and poverty-focused work with a broader church-based giving movement. No independently verified campaign totals are specified in the available reference material.

  Source

• 2006

  Join Advent Conspiracy as a key partnerStrategy

  Background

  Advent Conspiracy sought nonprofit partners whose work could receive redirected holiday giving from participating churches and households.

  Action taken

  Living Water became a key partner in the movement and connected its water programs with the campaign's giving model.

  Aftermath

  The partnership broadened the organization's fundraising and public-engagement presence within Christian communities.

  Source

• 2002

  Support Ghana well construction through financingStrategy

  Background

  Living Water sought resources to expand drilling capacity in Ghana.

  Action taken

  A reported OPIC loan supported drilling work that produced more than 200 wells in Ghana.

  Aftermath

  The financing supported the organization's expansion of water infrastructure work in West Africa.

  Reported OPIC loan. $100,000 (2002)

  Source

• 2001

  Use development financing to expand Kenya drillingStrategy

  Background

  Additional equipment was needed to increase the scale of drilling operations in Kenya.

  Action taken

  Living Water used reported OPIC financing to acquire equipment and support the drilling of approximately 150 wells.

  Aftermath

  The financing enabled a larger field operation in Kenya. The available material does not describe later repayment or program-level financial results.

  Reported OPIC loan. $200,000 (2001)

  Source

• 1991

  Establish a nationally governed Kenya operationStrategy

  Background

  After founding the organization in response to water needs observed in Kenya, Living Water needed an operating structure for sustained overseas work.

  Action taken

  It trained and equipped Kenyan drillers and began Living Water Kenya under the direction of a national board.

  Aftermath

  Kenya became the organization's first overseas operating platform and an early example of its local-capacity approach.

  Source

• 1989

  Develop a portable drilling modelStrategy

  Background

  Field experience in Peru highlighted the difficulty of drilling wells with equipment that could not easily reach remote communities.

  Action taken

  Harry Westmoreland Jr. developed the portable LS 100 rig for transport by pickup truck or small boat and later increased its drilling capacity for suitable soft formations.

  Aftermath

  Portable drilling capability became part of Living Water's technical model, supplemented by larger rigs for rock formations.

  Source

1. 1Living Water Internationalen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Living Water International official websitewater.cc