The 2026 “Fair Oaks Water Well” in The Gambia is now under construction and is expected to be complete within the next two weeks.
Located in the village of Kalagi Masaneh Kunda, this climate-resilient water infrastructure will provide a safe and reliable source of freshwater for the community.
Kalagi is an impoverished rural village and is home to approx. 300 people that are primarily engaged in subsistence farming and herding. Currently, the community sources its water from two hand dug, open wells which are a constant source of waterborne illness and become badly depleted during the annual six-month dry season.
So, the new Fair Oaks well will be a literal life saver. And a time saver, freeing women from hiking miles each day to haul water during the dry season. This is not only difficult and time consuming, but potentially dangerous. Walking to a water source in the bush increases opportunities for encounters with local wildlife, including venomous snakes, crocodiles and hippopotamus.
While we have spoken extensively about our well’s positive impact on health and educational outcomes, we would also like to touch on another benefit of this project which is strengthening the interpersonal relationships between peoples by fostering a culture of engagement, understanding and mutual respect. In the foreign policy space, this is known as “track two diplomacy.”
People in The Gambia, and across the continent, are acutely aware of the current U.S. administration’s overt disdain for them, their culture and their religion. The work we are doing together helps offset that notion and demonstrates that the American people value them and are sympathetic to their condition. Recent massive cuts in U.S. foreign aid have eliminated hundreds of crucial humanitarian programs and created a loss of momentum for other projects serving some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. This has caused immeasurable and unnecessary human suffering, while simultaneously damaging our international reputation and ceding U.S. influence in Africa to our geopolitical adversaries.
To be blunt, the American “brand” has been greatly diminished. But we have considerable agency to change that narrative by establishing and maintaining these types of connections. Now more than ever, transnational engagement between individuals, communities, and faith groups is vital.
— Ingrid and Mark Wilson