KIND IMMIGRANT parents. Moses Coady. A visiting priest from  India. A rural community open to help.

Put them together and you have a project that builds wells in poverty-stricken areas around the world.

Wishing Wells started with a small fundraising concert in 2000. Eight years later, the seventh concert will be held on Oct. 19. Since 2000, 10 wells have been dug to provide clean drinking water, and better health, in villages in India, Haiti and Nigeria.

It started in 1949 when the van den Heuvels, a Dutch family, bought a farm in St. Andrews, a few kilometres outside Antigonish.

They met Moses Coady, founder of the institute that fosters educational opportunities at St. Francis Xavier University for students from afar while enabling St. F.X. students to travel to poor areas for service work.

One incoming student was Rev. Boniface Mendes, a dedicated priest who worked with the poor in central India. He developed a friendship with the van den Heuvel family while he attended St. F.X. in 1973 and stayed with them for a time.

"My folks always took in visiting students," says Mary van den Heuvel, director of the Wishing Wells Society. "Father Bonnie had a great impact on us. When he died in 1998, I suggested to his brother that we raise money for a project in his name."

Rev. Felix Mendes said he knew of an Indian village needing a well that would cost about $3,400. Mary organized a concert at St. Andrews Catholic Church that attracted talent like the Men of the Deeps, Mary Jane Lamond and a pre-famous George Canyon.

"We raised $4,400 through the concert and donations," says Mary, who, with her family, has retained her parents’ tradition and welcomes Coady students to her home.

"After that first concert, it seemed so easy, so we had to do it again. One year, my sister Minnie and a group of friends made a quilt that was raffled and raised $3,072. Originally we dealt with communities in central India where Father Bonnie was from, and have now expanded in India, plus where there is a need elsewhere."

Coady Institute travellers to India have seen the wells and have brought back glowing reports of the gratitude of the people and the benefits of the wells.

Wishing Wells was basically a one-woman organization for the first six years, but in 2006 Mary took a year off from doing a concert to form a board of directors and develop a website ( www.wishingwellssociety.ca). Mary’s sister, Mary Ann Forbes, joined the board that year as treasurer.

"My husband Jerome and I raised our four children on our farm and taught them to work, appreciate food and where it comes from," Mary Ann says. "As a home economist, I worked in Malawi with the Canadian Home Economics Association and have connected with Malawi students at the Coady Institute. When Mary told me the Wishing Wells project had become overwhelming for one person to run, I willingly came on board."

She says her son, who teaches English in Taiwan, visited India and saw one of the wells built there.

Board member Allan Kipp, an Isle Madame ophthalmologist, has been in India as a volunteer and regularly invites Coady participants to his home. One of them, a priest, took him to Bihar in northern India to see the Wishing Well in the village.

Mary notes the first well, in Karivde in Maharashtra state in central India, was a brick pond measuring 3.5 by 4.5 metres that gave people access to water they’d never had before.

"They had to carry water from other areas," Mary explains. "This (well) helps the women because they’re the ones who were toting it."

A well at Baghela in northern India started as flat ground. Men and women dug the dirt and carried it away in baskets on their heads. Now it’s a two-metre-deep well that collects rain for agricultural purposes.

Mary says the people of St. Andrews and the surrounding area drive the program. For instance, Loyola MacDonald, who runs a convenience store, started collecting recyclable drink containers that were just being thrown away. The money raised from redeeming the deposits is presented to the Wishing Wells project each year.

"I saw the potential for this project and have raised over $11,000 over the years," says Loyola, who speaks admiringly of Mary’s efforts.

Mary says the work of dozens of local people has helped thousands of people overseas.

"The first well was for 32 families," she says. "The next helped more. Now we’ve heard that a bored well in Obeagu, Nigeria, that could cost $30,000 will assist 22,000 families."

She laughs.

"I used to commit to build a well, then find the money. Now that there’s a board, we don’t commit until the funds are there. But we know the need is there and will find the funds to fill it."

( jjacobson@herald.ca) http://thechronicleherald.ca/external/links.php?info=WishingWellsSociety~1   

 Wishing Wells Society by Lynne Danson Barkhouse (December 2007)

Tossing a single penny into a wishing well creates a ripple.  444,400 pennies raised by a Nova Scotia farming community rippled clear across the Atlantic Ocean and led to the construction of seven wells in country villages in faraway India. 

The story of the Wishing Wells Society really begins back in 1973 when Father Boniface Mendes was a visiting student from India at the Coady International Institute, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The missionary’s lifelong dedication to improving the social and health conditions in the poorest rural areas of his homeland was the inspiration behind this memorial project to which Mary van den Heuvel has devoted much of her energy for the past 7 years. 

Fr. Bonnie came to live for several weeks with Mary’s young family on their farm, during his tenure at the institute. In the years that followed, their association grew through letters and photographs, sharing the life and times of the van den Heuvels and that of Fr. Bonnie in his parishes serving the poor. When Mary received a letter from Fr. Bonnie’s brother, Fr. Felix, advising of her friend’s death in 1998, she felt compelled to do something in memory of the gentle, “down-to-earth” priest. 

When she asked Fr. Felix to suggest some mission project to which she might contribute, Mary wasn’t thinking of digging a well.  But that was what a tiny agricultural village in the central state of Maharashtra, India, needed. This farm-born woman could not get past the passage in the letter which read, “It is [the people’s] wish to have a well dug for them that could be used for drinking purpose, to grow a second agricultural crop and to provide water for the village cattle.”  

So committed were the village elders to helping this objective that they were prepared to donate their own land on which the well could be dug. And “the people though poor are willing to contribute altogether Rs.(rupees) 2000…and also offer free manual labour.”  The estimated total cost for this project was Rs.100,000, a small fortune for low-caste Indian farmers who might be lucky to earn a few rupees a day. Taking into account the villagers’ contribution of approximately $66 Can, that left about $3249 Can to be raised. 

van den Heuvel’s first reaction was “I didn’t think I could do it. It seemed so big. What if we only get half a well?” Her husband and two daughters assured her she could, with their help, and that of their St. Andrew’s community and surrounding area. 

An active member of the Roman Catholic parish and a musician herself, Mary was inclined to stage a benefit concert at the acoustically-pleasing St. Andrew’s Church. She approached a couple of her friends with her idea, and in short order, they fired up the enthusiasem of their community which knows all too well that “you don’t miss the water until the well runs dry.” 

Volunteers surfaced to produce and print posters and programs; run lights, sound and staging; and to manage the show.  Donations poured in for the silent auction, raffles and door prizes.  And, of course, there were the musicians – individuals and family groups; singers and drummers from the Afton First Nations Reserve; student performers from the Coady, and from the music department of St. Francis Xavier University (St. FX). 

The first concert took place in April, 2000. A minimum $5 donation was requested at the door. The proceeds from the venue, plus a surprise donation of $635 from the local Scotsburn Milk Producers’ Third World Development Fund surpassed the goal of raising $3400.  In one of the letters received by van den Heuvel after the event, the writer probably expressed the sentiments of the many attendees and participants, saying, “Along with attaining your goal of getting money for the well in India, you accomplished and promoted a beautiful ‘community togetherness’. We were very impressed with the varied groups of ethnic peoples gathered together for such a worthwhile project.” 

By August, 2001, the village of Karivde had its 18-foot-deep by 12-foot-wide well.  A letter from India advised, “the well has plenty of water and it will help [the people] to cultivate three crops in a year.” 

van den Heuvel thought this was the end of what was to have been a one-shot deal.  But just as crops took hold from the new water source in Karivde, a grassroots social commitment to fellow farmers in India had sprouted in rural Nova Scotia. Through continued communication and visits from the missionaries, and contacts with international students at the Coady, van den Heuvel and her team realized there were more wells to be dug.

It was not hard to identify villages that needed wells.  It was not difficult to find individuals, volunteer groups and businesses that wanted to work for the cause. 

van den Heuvel is in awe of the kindness and generosity of St. Andrew’s and its Antigonish County neighbors. Eight local women handcrafted a log-cabin quilt.  Gifts have included paintings, etched prints, photographs; handcarved objects; weaving and embroidery; all by professional artists.  Potted American elm trees, cameras and Antigonish theatre passes were among the prizes. Scotsburn Cooperative Services Ltd., the biggest single supporter, renewed its financial support in even more generous amounts each year.     

In van den Heuvel’s carefully-documented commemorative albums, programs list dozens of performers from Nova Scotia and abroad – singers, dancers, fiddlers, instrumentalists, comedians, and choirs – all looking forward to sharing in a project that has taken on a life of its own.  

As the project grew, and spread from the first four villages concentrated in central India to include destitute tribal farmers in the northern Bihar region, Wishing Wells supporters took a keen interest in the activities in each area, asking how the funds were disbursed and whether goals were being met. 

Were local men and women being hired for construction, at a fair wage? Were the villagers contributing some of the work, thereby having a stake in the long-term viability of the project?  Was there a local committee of villagers in place to participate in decision-making and yearly maintenance?  How would women benefit from the project?  Could indigenous trees be planted to further stabilize the area? Would the project provide a detailed and certified account of how the money was spent?  And please, send photos at all stages of the well’s development. 

A daily stipend of Rs.60 for men and R.45 for women would keep the villagers working together for a cause that would benefit the whole area in the long run, replied the Bishop of Purnea.  All the work would be done by the local people, except for professional tasks such as pump installation.  Women would no longer have to trod miles to get water for clothes washing, and watering the cattle for which they are responsible.  They would be able to do other tasks in the village, such as establishing kitchen gardens and planting trees. There were hopes a fishpond might be a spin-off operation. And most important, a summer crop could be considered, to make up for loss of activity in the monsoon season. 

Most years, enough money was raised to construct a well.  Some projects expanded to include not only water for irrigation and livestock, but drinking water, and a washing station where women could congregate on the steps to accomplish daily chores.

In 2006, van den Heuvel and the organizing committee decided it was time to take a breather from the huge job of mounting concerts, to focus on forming a registered society. 

One board member, during a personal trip to India, has seen firsthand the extent of Wishing Wells’ impact in the village of Baghela.  He noted that while the Roman Catholic Church’s Social and Education Society is the funnel through which funding flows, it is heartening to see that people of all religious faiths benefit from the Nova Scotian effort. He praised Wishing Wells for sending aid to the lawless state of Bihar where few other organizations risk working, and where, in a deeply entrenched caste system, ‘untouchables’ live in abject poverty, earning a yearly average of $94 Can.  

The Society has a long wish list, including finding other organizations, communities and individuals with whom they can partner, and strengthening the relationship between themselves, the Coady and St. FX. Volunteers have turned a successful recycle program, begun in 2005, into an annual event. The group intends to continue the non-denominational distribution of monies they raise, and recently joined forces with four other communities in Antigonish County with a view to expanding their support to needy farmers in other countries.

While there are other worthy projects to which the Society could turn its attention, van den Heuvel’s team will remain focused on looking for communities who need access to clean drinking water. “Building wells is our focus,” says van den Heuvel. “We started with friendships…farmers helping farmers…and they never died.”

Don’t tell Mary. It’s a Secret!

In the summer of 2005, people scurried in and out of MacDonald’s Convenience store, glancing over their shoulders to make sure Mary van den Heuvel was nowhere in sight. St. Andrew’s locals had received a secret flyer in their mailboxes or in their grocery bags, hinting that they might not only want to drop off all their refundable drink containers but that they might also like to sign up for sorting and bagging, too.  

Word spread that people could help build a village well with refundables. That September, at the Wishing Wells concert, the community was proud to present a surprised van den Heuvel with a cheque in the amount of $1446.   

The newly-formed Board of Directors has decided to use this new avenue to top up the Wishing Wells bucket each year. Van den Heuvel marvels at how her one-shot-deal gesture in 2000 has become the dedication of her community-at-large. “You take this little piece of an idea and it just keeps on growing into something bigger and more wonderful,” she says with a modest smile.  

Left to right: Mary van den Heuvel, Oona Landry & Minnie van de Wiel at the 2005 Wishing Wells concert in St. Andrews, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia.

$1446.48 being presented to Wishing Wells by the secret Refundables committee.

The Casket Printing & Publishing Company (2006) Limited

By Erin Delorey, August 2, 2006

It’s no longer a secret, you can tell Mary van den Heuvel. MacDonald’s Convenience Store in St. Andrews is accepting donations of refundable items to go towards funds for the Wishing Wells project.
A counter is located at the front of the store, indicating how much money has been raised so far. The goal is to reach $1,500.
“People are getting the word and remembering,” van den Heuvel said. “So I’m thinking by the end of the summer, we should top that thing.”
The Wishing Wells program was started by van den Heuvel as a memorial project for Father Bonnie Mendes, who was a close friend of hers that she meet while he was studying at the Coady International Institute. When he left, they remained in contact, up until his death.
“He was digging wells, he started a social services centre, and then, suddenly, we got a letter from his brother,” van den Heuvel said. “I wrote to him asking what kind of project we could do in his memory. The wish was to have a well for this village, and he gave us all the details.”
A concert was held at the local church to raise money for the well. They raised $1,000 more than was needed to build the well, so the project continued.
“People seem to be happy to have this avenue of direct support, even farmers helping farmers, ordinary people helping people over in India and third world countries,” van den Heuvel said.
Wishing Wells became an official society recently and named a board of directors with seven people. It has helped build wells in India since 2000.
A concert is held, usually, once a year as the major fundraiser for the project, except for this year. The society decided to let the projects that are already started in India be completed before they start another.
The newest idea for Wishing Wells is collecting refundables. It began as a secret to be kept from van den Heuvel. Brochures were distributed through MacDonald’s Convenience that explained the idea and that it was on the down-low.
“Seeing how the world has become more environmentally friendly in the past few years, I came up with a notion, it was spearheaded by lots of other people, of course, to do recyclables for Mary, and the money to go towards the wishing wells project,” Loyola MacDonald said. “It’s such a wonderful project that she does. We raised over $1,400 last year, that’s over 45,000 items, plastic or cans.”
MacDonald said she sometimes thinks about how often we take water for granted.
“When I turn on my tap, when I jump in the shower in the morning, when I use it for cooking,” she said. “To think if we didn’t have it, how would we be living?”
MacDonald encourages everyone to bring their cans and bottles to the side door at MacDonald’s Convenience.
Mary Ann Forbes, van den Heuvel’s sister, is also involved with Wishing Wells. It is important to her, as it is to the rest of her family, to help those in need.
“Water is the basis of everything,” she said. “Our mission is to provide water to those who need it.
Forbes said that the project focuses on communities in the north of India, in the Bihar region, because the people there are neglected by their government.
A website is in the making for the society. Retired teacher Walter Strapps will be constructing the site, with the information complied by Yifru Beyene, a development and sociology major at St. F.X. The site can be accessed at www.wishingwellssociety.ca.
“It’s a great motivation,” Beyene said, “if recyclables can make a change in people’s lives, and if people commit themselves in contributing, how much a change can we make.”
He volunteered as an intern with Wishing Wells for several weeks.
People in different areas of the county are collecting refundables for Wishing Wells.
“This is something we want to continue in the summer months,” van den Heuvel said. “The number of bags of refundables that we’re getting now is increasing.”