Project is part of the Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (June 6, 2023) Top of Form Two communities in Ghana have access to clean water thanks to funding from the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The 2021 water project was part of the Salesian efforts to bring water access to the Bono Region of the country.

Water remains one of the main challenges in the region. People, mainly poor farmers, depend on stream water sources for all their needs including sharing it with grazing animals. The water project improved access to quality water for a community and school that are part of the Odumase Mary Help of Christians Parish, which has 16 outstations and 22 villages.

Funding provided for a borehole with a hand-pump in the Kojokesekrom community. The community has 700 residents and 300 people who come to the area to farm but do not live there. Most of the youth in the community migrate to seek a better life. Some of them lose their lives in the process while some are arrested in Libya and sold into slavery. In recent years, many of them have been rescued and returned to the region, and they then go into farming.

The project also provided a mechanical borehole with a water tower and spouts in the community of Chiraa for 340 students, staff and Salesian sisters. In addition, 30 families are also benefiting from this new water access.

The Sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth started Holy Family of Nazareth School in Chiraa in 2015. The school has eight classes from nursery school to grade four. The school is located in an undeveloped area and is isolated. The nearby community did not have stable water access. Until this new project, the school had to rely on a stream, which wasn’t a safe water source.

A Salesian missionary said, “We have come a long way. Our daily headache of searching for water has come to an end. This is particularly important with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was difficult for people to wash their hands when we didn’t even have water to drink. We are grateful for the donors who made this new water source possible.”

To learn more about the Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative, go to SalesianMissions.org/water.

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