The project provided a borehole and submersible water pump.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Jan. 10, 2022) Residents in the village of Amanfoso in Ghana have access to clean water thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The project, part of the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative,” provided a borehole and submersible water pump and is directly impacting 215 people in this small community.

Most people in Amanfoso are dependent on water from streams, which has all forms of human and animal wastewater and is not safe for consumption. Residents have waited for a long time for a better and cleaner water source for drinking, cooking and other activities, and they are appreciative of the support and assistance.

The borehole was created in a central part of the community to benefit most people. One resident of the village expressed her appreciation for the new water source. “You have given a great gift. It is a huge grace for us in these times,” she said.

U.N.-Water estimates that worldwide 2.2 billion people are living without access to safe water. One in four primary schools has no drinking water service, with students using unprotected water sources or going thirsty. In addition, U.N.-Water notes that more than 700 children under age 5 die every day from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

In 2021, more than 3.57 million people in Ghana lived in extreme poverty, the majority in rural areas. Those living on less than $1.90 a day in rural regions reached nearly 3.3 million, while 278,000 extremely poor people were located in urban areas. Rural poverty remains widespread in the dry savannah region that covers roughly two thirds of Ghana’s northern territory. Small-scale farms suffer from a lack of infrastructure and equipment, both of which are needed to shift from subsistence farming to more modern commercial farming which would yield greater incomes and a chance to escape poverty.

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

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