From NAPLES to AFRICA with Love

Teresa Murtland

Africa is the second-largest continent in the world and covers an area of over 48million square miles. Geographically, 54 countries make up this vast continent that have a combined population of more than 1.5 billion. It is easy to become intrigued and fascinated by the diversity and vibrancy of African cultures. Over 2,000 languages are spoken across the continent, making Africa the most linguistically rich continent in the world. One language not counted amongst that 2,000 is Love.

Meet three residents living in Naples who have a history and a love affair with this magnificent continent. Their backgrounds and reasons for being in Africa vary, however the common denominator is LOVE. Teresa Murtland, Lisa Spiller and Tim Tetzlaff will, in this article series, bring their experiences and stories to life. I am sure you will enjoy hearing about each of their adventures in this three-part series, beginning with Teresa Murtland.

“My first trip to Africa was October 2006- January 2007, I had the luxury of staying for three months. My purpose in going was to attend a global school to learn about third world water sector issues and meet the people who live with these conditions,” Murtland begins. “I stayed in an orphanage location with 100 other students from all over the world. It was also mission-oriented, taking food and water to remote bush locations along Tanzania’s Zambezi River.”

Working with Africa 6,000, I’ve been back to Africa more than a few dozen times. Part of my role is to document each of our projects with photos and videos. Getting to know the locals and hear about their needs is always humbling. We have 16 members of our drilling team which live there permanently, their insight and knowledge is extremely valuable.

We’re currently drilling in five different African countries, and I like them all for so many reasons. Each is vastly different. There are more than 2,000 distinct languages spoken throughout Africa with approximately 3,000 different ethnic groups or tribes, each with different colored clothing and customs. The population and economy of each varies greatly.

Many times, when we drill a well, the village celebrates with colorful costumes, dances and special meals. A few specific memories: we delivered blankets to an orphanage in the bush. They had none so at night the children would huddle together to stay warm. The blankets brought so much comfort. On one early morning visit to a new solar powered water well project, several village women were there gathering water for the day. They were laughing and having so much fun in the water. They now have clean water so their families can get healthy and their children can now attend school.

The animals, particularly the lions, are so intriguing. On one trip into Ngorongoro Crater, two male lions blocked the road. Eventually they moved to let us through, but then also tapped their paws on the side of our vehicle to let us know they were in charge. They really are the kings of the jungle.

When traveling to Africa, prepare to be amazed. Africa is like a story book in so many ways, beautiful culture, landscapes and people. Travel can often be rough with washed out red dirt roads. There are times villagers have to come out and cut through the bush to get our drilling rigs into the village; a safari is a must. Nothing compares to seeing these African animals in their natural habitats. When visiting or traveling through Africa, always do so with a knowledgeable guide because of the language barriers and custom requirements that you might not be aware of.

My next planned trip to Africa will be in January 2026, I will be in Tanzania and Kenya to do some new video projects. We’ll interview not only our drillers, but villagers, about their life’s journeys before and after we built clean, solar-powered water wells in their villages.