Accessing potable water is a major concern for residents of many rural and remote communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.
Many women and children on a daily basis are compelled to trek long distances in search of water, mostly from streams, rivers and other open water sources for their daily and economic activities.
A worrying development is the fact that schoolchildren often lose instructional hours in search of water to bath or to attend to nature’s call, as some of them report to school late or do not go to school after walking long distances.
The absence of potable water in many rural school settings also compels many schoolchildren to run home to drink water and return to school, while some on reaching home no longer have the urge to go back to school.
To address this age-old problem, HiChale, a Kalba based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has constructed a borehole each for 5 communities within the Kalba enclave.
The beneficiary communities include Kelleyiri, Kporiju Primary school, Kohiintee, Bugaal and Bebeyiri.
This project seeks to provide underground water to over 2000 beneficiaries in these communities.
According to the Managing Director, Mr. Emmanuel Dery Kuusani, HiChale remains committed to providing interventions that will help alleviate the suffering of the most neglected people and communities.
He added that, the main funders of HiChale projects are their German Partners : Aktionskreis Pater Hagen Association, which is into the collection of paper and used clothing to raise funds and Ruet n Rock Association, which organises musical events to also raise funds to support these projects .
Mr. Kuusani used the opportunity to call for more donors and collaborators to enable them to expand their reach and impact.
In response to this gesture, there has been massive show of excitement amongst the beneficiary communities with some of them indicating how they have struggled over years to get a borehole until HiChale came to their rescue.
Source: yagbonradioonline
