Local Wine To Water Organization Builds Wells, Educates About Water Sanitation All Over World

Story by Sam Calhoun

For the past three years, Doc Hendley has helped build wells and educate people in third world countries on proper water sanitation via his nonprofit organization, Wine To Water. Photo courtesy of Coy Isaacs Across the globe, more than 6,000 children—mostly under the age of 5—die from water-related illnesses every year. The mission of Boone-based Wine To Water is to create sustainable solutions to that problem, building wells, educating local populations on proper sanitation practices and raising awareness.

Coy Isaacs, project director for Wine To Water, helps dig a well in Sudan. Photo courtesy of Doc Hendley “[Helping people who suffer from water-related illnesses] is one of the greatest needs in the world and one of the most overlooked needs,” said Doc Hendley, 28, executive director of Wine To Water, who explained that many aid organizations build wells and then leave without teaching the locals how to maintain their new equipment. “We build wells but also train local people in the area to repair wells so that they don’t have to wait on aid workers.”

The main focus of Wine To Water is water and sanitation work and the name refers to the wine-related fundraisers that initially started and aided the nonprofit’s work.

A boy in Sudan drinks his first taste of clean water from a well built by Doc Hendley and Coy Isaacs of Wine To Water. Photo courtesy of Coy Isaacs The history of Wine To Water began more than three years ago when Hendley was a senior at North Carolina State University. Six months before graduation, Hendley was working as a bartender and was uncertain about what he wanted to do with his life like many soon-to-be graduates. He knew he didn’t want an office job and he knew he wanted to help people.

“I think I was born with a desire to help people who can’t help themselves,” said Hendley, who began to focus his attention on what he saw was one of the biggest problems in the world—water shortages and water sanitation.

Working from what he knew best, Hendley began hosting fundraising events at the Raleigh bar where he worked, calling them Wine To Water and collecting money to aid in his cause. At the events, Hendley served donated wine in exchange for donations. All the money went into an account that Hendley managed.

“I challenged the [people who came to these events] to do something beyond the barstool,” said Hendley, who also conducted non-alcohol fundraisers at high schools.

By 2004, Hendley had collected enough funds to start to make a difference, but he didn’t know where to begin. He didn’t want to donate the funds to another organization because he didn’t know where the money would go, so he traveled to Boone—his parents’ home—to talk to Kenny Isaacs of Samaritan’s Purse. Isaacs, international project director for Samaritan’s Purse, offered to hire Hendley if he would continue Wine To Water and agree to be trained in water sanitation methods and well digging.

Hendley agreed and was immediately sent to Darfur, Sudan—one of the places most desperate for clean drinking water in the world, according to Hendley—for one year (2004 to 2005) to do aid work.

In Sudan, Hendley met Coy Isaacs—a fellow aid worker, alumnus of NC State, Boone local and Kenny Isaac’s son. Hendley shared his Wine To Water idea with Isaacs, 27, and the two joined forces.

Isaacs and Hendley decided that they wanted do more than just fulfill the immediate need for assistance in the target areas—mostly in Africa. They wanted to focus on sustainable solutions to water-based problems.

“It is more work, but it’s more beneficial to the people in need,” said Hendley.

Since returning from Africa in 2005, Isaacs and Hendley have held 10 fundraisers and raised close to $100,000 for projects in other countries.

“More important than the money,” said Hendley, “is raising awareness in the community so that people know what is going on in the world.”

Either Isaacs and Hendley or other High Country organizations under the name Wine To Water have installed wells, educated people on proper water sanitation practices and sanitized water in India, Ethiopia and Sudan.

On June 12, Hendley and Isaacs are returning to the Sudan to help establish a training center that will teach the local population all forms of water sanitation.

“From latrine work to the proper way to take care of children with water will be covered [at the center],” said Hendley. “It will encompass all aspects.”

Hendley hopes to expand the concept of the center to other places in Africa in the future.

Volunteers are not needed abroad to help with Wine To Water at the moment, Hendley said, because they plan to equip local people with the training and resources necessary to solve their own water and sanitation issues.

To make a tax-deductible donation, send a check to Wine To Water, PO Box 2567, Boone, NC 28607. Make an online donation by clicking to www.winetowater.org.