In May, Reach Beyond co-hosted a training week in Ivory Coast, bringing together partner organisations to learn practical skills like water well pump repair, well assessment, and community outreach. These are the essential tools for bringing clean water to villages.
Reach Beyond missionary Wim de Groen is our Community Development Coordinator in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of the teachers on the course. Here he tells the story of how one man’s life was changed by three little words...
I looked around the room – here were my students!
Each partner organisation had sent two participants for this training. Konan, a volunteer with Foundation Emmanuel, stood out immediately.
Every day, he arrived early, swept the floors, laid out the tools, and jumped in wherever help was needed. While others scrolled their phones during breaks, Konan was busy asking smart questions, taking notes, and getting his hands 
dirty.
Mark, my co-trainer from Friends in Action, whispered to me, “I want him on my team.” I said, “So do I—but he already has one!”
So, we got creative. Together with Mark and Pastor Kra (Konan’s director), we built a plan:
• Mentor: Konan would become an intern with Friends in Action’s drilling crew to gain hands-on experience.
• Equip: Reach Beyond would fund his training so he could focus fully.
• Deploy: Afterward, Foundation Emmanuel would hire him to lead water projects in the underserved northwest.
It stretched all our budgets, but it was worth it. Konan now has a calling, a career, and the tools to help expand the Kingdom of God.
At Reach Beyond, we don’t mind whose logo is on his shirt - as long as clean water flows and the gospel travels with it. That’s what really matters!
