More than 1,000 people in 3 communities have clean water access thanks to the Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Jan. 26, 2022) More than 1,000 people in three communities 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 new borewell in Yamfo and borewells and water towers in Ahiresu and Atuna. There is also now clean water access at a primary school, which is particularly important in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Akua Donkor, a caretaker in Ahiresu, expressed her joy at having clean water. “We have had to go 3 km to the valley to get water from the stream. The only well we have here was made for us in 1981 and dries up during the drying season. Since COVID-19, regular hand-washing is not an option.” She added, “With this hearty gift, we think that you are not only giving us drinking water but also helping us to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful and may God bless everyone involved. I tell you, we are very happy.”

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, with 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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