Atlas Manufacturing builds drilling equipment for the water, oil and gas, and construction industries. Ninety per cent of the company's equipment is exported. It also builds drill rigs.

The Merville company refurbished and outfitted a water well drilling rig with equipment for Global Aid Network (Gain), a non-profit organization based in Langley.

On June 18, the rig left the yard and was driven to Halifax, N.S. It was loaded on a ship June 28 and is on its way to Contonou, Benin, West Africa.

Gain provides emergency relief and humanitarian aid worldwide through its Water for Life initiative. It has  drilled 500 deep-capped water wells in Togo, Benin, Tanzania and Southern Sudan. Each well provides disease-free water to an average of 1,000 villagers. This rig is the latest addition to their fleet of three.

Atlas helped with a reduced price on the rig but donations Gain receives from the public funds 100 per cent of their work. This particular rig was purchased by a single donor.

More information on Gain is at www.globalaid.net/about/water.