Many Americans, for a host of reasons, have never left the country, and those of us who are fortunate enough to travel internationally usually see the postcard version of the place we’re visiting. One of the more substantive perks of departing your comfort zone and seeing new cultures is gaining a fresh perspective on your immediate surroundings. But that’s easier to appreciate when your destination is an impoverished village in arid climes as opposed to a pristine resort with air-conditioned rooms.
Clay Cook’s first real trip outside the United States came about five years ago through work. The Louisville-based photographer was asked by a colleague if he had any interest in going to Africa to help an organization called Waterboys spread the word about the then-fledgling non-profit’s philanthropic goal: building wells for people who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
In 2015, I met a film production company called NADUS Films (Sudan backwards) through working with their DP, Justin Gustavason. One day, Justin came to me and said ‘NADUS has this project on their plate in Africa, and I’ve been pitching [founder] Corey [Deeb] to meet with you so you can add still photography to the deliverables.’
I was blown away to actually be considered. At the time, I had never really ventured outside of the country. But I met with Corey and he’s like, ‘this project is with [football player] Chris Long, and he’s starting a foundation called Waterboys. He needs us to go to Africa to create marketing materials they can use to further awareness of the non-profit and what’s going on over there.’
Here’s “what’s going on”: water-related diseases, while wholly preventable, cause nearly 20 percent of deaths of children five and younger in Tanzania and account for half of the East African country’s hospitalized patients. Waterboys has worked passionately to mitigate these galling realities: the organization has built 83 wells (so far) that have served more than 345,000 people. Led by former NFL player Chris Long, the non-profit has taken advantage of the Super Bowl champion’s considerable network within the sports world to fundraise at a dizzying rate and expand the scope of the project.
Chris started this thing, and it’ll continue to grow. Waterboys has only gotten bigger and, as such, has received bigger donations over the years.
During the last half-decade, Clay has made seven trips to Tanzania, with two more coming in 2020. He wasn’t really given a pitch ahead of the first visit because Waterboys was in its infancy and didn’t quite know how to document the hardships faced by local villagers. Thus, Clay had “the ultimate creative freedom” with his side of the deliverables.
I shot in the most documentary way possible. I focused on behind-the-scenes aspects, I documented Chris doing his thing, I shot a little bit of everything on that trip. Even though I didn’t have a lot of time to put it all together and deliver it, it was a really robust collection of photography.
Waterboys and NADUS loved the work. They were really impressed with everything I delivered. It was my first job like that, where I was just kind of documenting everything, so I didn’t really know what I was doing. I think at the time it was a new thing for NADUS, too. So they were just like ‘come, enjoy yourself, take some photos, and we’ll see what happens.’
The two companies were drawn to the “visual storytelling” in Clay’s work and Waterboys kept inviting the freelancer back on subsequent trips. Since the Kentuckian has made multiple journeys to Tanzania, he’s gained the full trust of both his collaborators and members of the various communities he’s bonded with over the years.
They know exactly what I need and how much time I need to get what I want. They know that I can get in, get the job done, and get out. I’m not going to complain, and I don’t need any luxuries. I think that’s what they like about what I bring to the table.
As far as my work, I’m able to get close to these people and they trust me more because they recognize my face. Over time, you’re going to get better work because of things like that.
The people Clay has grown close to, and the individuals for whom many of the wells are built, are the Maasai, a nomadic ethnic group that predominantly inhabits northern Tanzania. In learning about this community, any preconceived notions Clay might have had dissolved instantly.
They’re a happy people. A lot of us have this stereotypical view of these poor, nomadic villagers that struggle, are desperate, and hate life. It’s actually quite the opposite.
It’s important to note the delicacy with which Waterboys and its partners handle interactions with the Maasai leaders. Once the money comes in, it immediately goes to the Maasai, who then gives it to Majitech, the company that actually builds the wells. This gives the locals a sense of ownership over the wells and allows outside parties to come in and help without stepping on anyone’s toes or compromising a lifestyle of which the Maasai are fiercely proud.
This project requires a lot of nuance and a lot of working with the leaders of the villages to make sure these wells are running smoothly. It’s really important that we donate the money to the Maasai people — they care more that way. Otherwise, they don’t feel like the well is theirs because they feel like the white man came in and built this well.
Tanzania has actually tried to Westernize these people and get rid of their nomadic way of life and they don’t want that. But just incorporating clean water itself is not disrupting their way of life. It’s saving their lives, so that’s all we really want to do. We don’t have any desire to change or alter the way that they live or enhance their technology or anything like that. They’re an extremely happy people when it comes to where and how they live. We never want to do anything to take away from that.
There are a number of steps Waterboys must take to get the wells up and running and, more importantly, keep them operating smoothly. Since the technology has evolved — the wells use solar panels and house a sophisticated monitoring system so the builders can track the equipment remotely — the expenses have increased.
It costs roughly $45,000 to build a well. To build it, they bring in this massive drill and drill for weeks to hit groundwater. Then, they pump that water out and siphon it into a tank. That’s where the water collects because the pump’s not going to run all day — it only runs at night when the solar panels on top of the well shut off. A pipe running from the tank comes out to a faucet, where people source their water, fill up their buckets, and take them back to their villages.
The amount of time people save by using wells is game-changing. Waterboys’ website concisely outlines the plethora of benefits for people of all ages. For example, instead of spending their entire day trudging miles to find clean water, young girls can go to school. Families can also spend their newfound time creating and selling goods to boost their income. And, of course, those preventable water-borne diseases we touched on decrease. When you factor in all of those life-enhancing developments, it’s easy to see why the Maasai get such joy out of seeing gallons of clean water gushing into their buckets with a simple turn of a knob.
Honestly, there’s nothing else on the planet that compares to the reaction that I’ve seen from the Maasai people when they don’t have to work for clean water anymore.
It’s almost like they’re seeing this insane new technology. They can’t believe it; they fully immerse themselves in this water and they’re splashing it everywhere — it’s kind of this epic scene for 5-10 minutes. It’s very compelling and humbling to see.
That jubilation hits even closer to home for Clay because he and his cohorts spend parts of their trips doing strenuous activities, like climbing Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, to put themselves in the shoes of the women who walk miles and miles for water.
The first time I saw women walking with cans on their heads, I actually did it myself. It’s hard to walk for miles with a 50-pound can of water on your head. It’s an intense workout.
Since its inception, Waterboys has picked up steam and captivated tons of people willing to help, including — crucially — other professional athletes ready to use their personal wealth for good. An emerging leader is basketball player Malcolm Brogdon, who started the organization Hoops2o and has recruited other NBAers, like Joe Harris and Justin Anderson, to join the cause. These outfits work with World Serve International; the aforementioned well-building company Majitech is a subsidiary of WS and uses the generated funds to dig, build, and maintain the wells.
Waterboys is connected to Hoops2o via Malcolm Brogdon. Malcolm didn’t think that he could onboard NBA players under the Waterboys brand, so he and Waterboys decided that it would be better if he started Hoops2o to better raise awareness via the NBA.
They’re all connected because they use the same implementing partner called World Serve International, which started Majitech. All the money raised by Waterboys and Hoops2o goes to World Serve and they get their guys on the ground to build these wells. They also maintain them, which is a very, very important part of this.
As the Waterboys brand has gained recognition, its ambitions have grown. The initial goal, reached in February of 2018, was to build 32 wells — one for each NFL team. Now that Chris Long’s passion project is more well-known, his goals are loftier: Waterboys’ current aim is to bring clean water to one million needy people. The Maasai are not the only folks whose lives have been changed by such a fundamentally important endeavor. The individuals who have helped tell the world about the cause, like Clay, carry with them a perspective that will never fade from memory. It’s a viewpoint one can’t truly hold until they’ve seen the harshest realities on our planet and have interacted with the people who spend their lives overcoming them.
I’ve seen the way these people react to clean water coming out of the faucet — that never gets old. Now, every time I turn on the faucet I think, ‘wow, this is a luxury.’ I’ve started taking more care as it relates to water waste. I’m also not particular about water anymore; I don’t need ice in my water. I like my water cold, but I don’t need that. I try to source from taps if at all possible and I don’t like using water bottles unless I have to. Those are some ways I’ve changed since doing these trips, just taking a little more care with these luxuries that most people take for granted.
Before working with Waterboys, I was really in my bubble. I was in my safe zone as far as my photography and that first trip to Tanzania really popped that bubble for me. It really opened my eyes to the fact that ‘hey, America’s not the only place in the world. We live in a big place, you know?’
See more of Clay’s work on his website.
Further Reading:
Read more about Clay Cook on our Published Blog.
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