Burnell Pudwill and his late wife Delores first came to Haiti in July of 1974.  In December, after finishing a French study in Port au Prince, they continued to Petit Goave for a Creole study.  They became residents of Haiti in 1975 and were assigned to a mission in Port Margot, near Cap Haitien.  Their tasks included school administration and operation of a medical clinic.  Burnell assisted his wife, who was trained as a nurse, in performing over 100,000 minor surgical procedures over the years, including such procedures as teeth extractions.

Burnell soon became concerned because of the lack of safe, clean water for the local people and began to hand-dig wells.  In 1994, he began using a rotary driller, and has drilled approximately 450 wells since that time.  Anyone who has spent any time in Haiti, or researched this issue, will immediately understand the dire need for water for the local people.