by Fládima Christofari
The following week the group arrived in the Bororo village of Areiao in Santo Antônio do Leverger, near the bank of the river Arareiáo, where they sank another well. Because of the terrain in the region, however, it was necessary to contact a company to carry out the drilling.
Through the Travelling Missionary Support Programme they have also installed a water tank, solar panels, a pump and a fountain with a shower. "In this way, residents can drink unpolluted water instead of the water from the river which is polluted with pesticides from large soya, cotton and corn plantations" explained Bro Würstle, the project coordinator.
The project started in the 70s, initially under the name of Motorized Help to Amazzonia. At the time, military vehicles donated from Switzerland were mainly used for the construction of roads and bridges to the three missions served by the Salesians at Meruri, San Marcos and Sangradouro.
Ten years later when the agreement with Switzerland ended, the Salesian Mission in Mato Grosso decided to continue the project with its own resources and help from benefactors from Germany, Italy, the US, Spain and Switzerland. They kept the same logo but changed the name to Travelling Missionary Support.
The project continues to provide support to missionaries in the maintenance of machinery, the construction and maintenance of hydropower plants and more recently has engaged in the construction of wells in areas that need a clean water supply. In recent years have been built more than 250 wells.
