Our Origin Story

“I think there is water here.”

Goodlord shared while we were visiting his village outside of Hoedspruit, South Africa in January 2025. I first met Goodlord when he was just 10 years old. Goodlord’s mother, Jester, is a close family friend who was introduced to us by Liam MacCourt and his family. Jester has graciously invited my family to her village half a dozen times over the last two decades.

Goodlord is a 31-year-old tracker who works on a private game farm, helping tourists spot animals while on safari. He and his wife, Pretty, have multiple children together. They live in a newly-built cinderblock home near the village in Okkerneutboom in the Acornhoek region. Over half a million people live in Acornhook yet the majority of families do not have running water, forcing people to walk long distances, pay for expensive bottled water, or resort to using contaminated sources.

For as long as Goodlord and Jester can remember, everyone has told them that there was no water underneath their homes. And there was no one coming to help - no nonprofit operated in the area, the local government continuously made empty promises about installing proper water infrastructure, and the cost for residents to drill and build a well (borehole) was astronomical, given their salaries and the diminishing value of the Rand.

Goodlord felt confident that there was water and he had gone ahead and done preliminary research and sourced bids from local contractors about the cost of drilling a well. For one well - for access to clean, running water for his family and neighbors - the cost in Rands was more than a years salary, but with an 18 to 1 exchange rate, it would cost less than $5,000 USD.

One handshake later, I promised Goodlord we would cover the costs. Even with the drill company insisting that there were no guarantees. Four weeks later, we had a drilling rig in front of his house, and at a little over 100 meters, we hit water.

The one-time investment has reaped its benefits over the last nine months. The one well at Goodlord’s home has provided clean water to his immediate and extended family as well as dozens of other families in the area. The well is now proudly managed by Goodlord’s family. We have connected him with a local water testing company that has provided instructions on how to upkeep the well and ensure the water is safe to drink.

This is the origin story of the Good Day Giving Foundation. After we helped Goodlord, we asked ourselves and most importantly, Goodlord’s community, - can we recreate this process? The answer we found was YES. We are now on a mission to help more families access clean water.