Water for Life: A Franciscan Borewell Project in India

Nurturing a Community, One Drop at a Time

For over two decades, St. Anthony’s Church in Gospadu, India, has served as a center of hope and hospitality. As a Franciscan mission parish, it extends its care well beyond its chapel walls—offering pastoral outreach, education, and support to eight surrounding villages. When water shortages began to threaten the mission’s trees, gardens, and the health of local families, the friars recognized a deeper need: a sustainable water source that could support both the land and the people who depend on it.

The Weight of Water Scarcity

The people of Gospadu—mostly landless laborers and domestic workers—face extreme poverty. Their incomes are low, their opportunities are few, and water, one of life’s most basic needs, has become dangerously scarce. Droughts and unreliable rainfall make it difficult to maintain crops or trees, and the summer heat puts already fragile ecosystems and livelihoods at greater risk.

The friars were watching the community struggle, and their own land, trees, and gardens wither.

A Well of Possibility

Thanks to donor support, the solution to the long-standing water crisis came in the form of a borewell—a deep, narrow well drilled to tap into groundwater. After a careful feasibility study, the friars oversaw the installation of the borewell at the most promising site on the parish grounds. The $6,704 project provided water not just for the trees and gardens, but for local agricultural use and the surrounding community’s daily needs.

The results have been immediate and life-giving. Fruit and shade trees are thriving again. The garden is growing. Families now have more reliable access to water, improving their health and reducing the daily burden of scarcity. Agriculture—a fragile but vital source of livelihood—is sustainable again.

Sustainable Success

The friars, supported by local dedicated workers, continue to monitor and maintain the well, ensuring its long-term functionality. The presence of this consistent water source has transformed the parish’s ability to live out its mission—caring for creation, feeding the hungry, and offering practical support.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, this rural community has taken one more step toward stability, dignity, and flourishing.