Social Media influencer and American Youtuber Jimmy Donaldson, AKA Mr. Beast, has been the subject of worldwide praise and controversy with his latest video, “I Built 100 Water Wells in Africa.” This video, a sequel to; “We Built Wells in Africa,” released in 2022, details a journey in which the influencer and his team traveled across several African countries, including Kenya, Somalia and Zimbabwe, to install water borehole wells.

What Are the Benefits?

Africa is experiencing a water crisis. According to The Guardian, many humanitarian projects, including active water wells across rural Africa, have fallen into disrepair due to the lack of maintenance or care across the continent. Governments and other organizations have often installed water wells and projects without considering maintenance and care costs for year-round provision.

Borehole drilling offers an economical and environmentally friendly means of obtaining safe, high-quality drinking water throughout the year on the property where it’s installed. Essential for populated regions and business sites lacking access to clean water, boreholes ensure a reliable supply of pressure and quality drinking water.

With minimal cost and maintenance, this endeavor has proven helpful to developing nations like Cameroon and Uganda. This makes the initiative crucial to developing countries, who struggle with access to clean drinking water and water necessary for crop growth and development. Beast’s initiative will provide clean, naturally sourced drinking water for more than 500,000 people in developing African countries.

Going Forward

Beast’s venture has garnered global attention. While some commend his initiative, others have leveraged the project to highlight the perceived inadequacy of actions and legislation addressing the water crisis within African parliaments and governing bodies. In contrasting the actions of the influencer with those of the Kenyan Government, prominent activist Boniface Mwangi stated, “We are a shameful, horrible country, a begging nation that is governed by millionaires.”

While some have applauded the project, concerns about its long-term impact have been raised, particularly regarding maintenance and sustainability. Saran Kaba Jones, an activist and the CEO of Face Africa, an organization dedicated to enhancing water infrastructure in Africa, emphasized, “It’s one thing to install the well; it’s another to go back three, four or five years from now and see if that well is still functional.”

The most recurring problems with borehole drilling initiatives are maintenance and upkeep. Far too often, boreholes are drilled and left unattended for months or even years. The International Institute for Environment and Development states that the U.S. has invested more than $360 million in drilling and building wells that become non-functional or outright useless because of the lack of maintenance or repairs when they break.

In response to the criticism, Beast utilized social media platform X to reaffirm his project’s goal. Asserting his commitment to using his channel and influence to assist individuals and encourage his followers to do likewise, he remains undeterred by the criticism.

– Anthony Durham
Photo: Flickr