Dilago Community Well
Project Snapshot
Country: Sudan
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude 3.811510
Longitude 31.654630
Impact:
Total Served: 500
Status: Completed (?)
Completion Date (or estimate): 07/05/2010
Share this Project
Story from Paibe Manoja
Dirago/Kabele Village
Paibe and his community get
their water from Bibisoni Stream. When dry season comes the stream
dries up and the whole village has to walk far to one of the open wells
that were dug many years ago.
“The open well is very deep,
we don’t know how many meters down it is but there is water throughout
the year. Other villages also use this well. Before the war, the water
from the well was very clean and free of germs. However, since we have
come back from the refugee camps the water has changed a lot.”
“The color of the water has
changed and sometimes the water smells bad because the well is
surrounded by trees and the leaves fall into the water. The village has
suffered from many waterborne diseases because of this well.”
Story from Keyi James Alese
Dirago Village
Alese is married with three
children and is a teacher at Ebenezer Nursery School. Alese was on sick
leave from work when WHI arrived in Dirago to drill the well so this
gave me a chance to interact with him. Alese tells his story:
“I was born in this village
in 1980 and spent the first seven years of my life here. When the war
broke out my family was forced into exile in Uganda. In Uganda, we
stayed in the refugee camps and this life was very miserable. The UN
would give us food aid and then the rebels would come at night and steal
the food.”
“I came back to Sudan in 2005
after the signing of the peace agreement. Everything was different.
Most of the roads were impassable due to land mine explosions and we
could only get our water from nearby streams. I think this is why there
were so many waterborne diseases.”
“I thank God that this organization has begun to solve the problem of lack of access to clean water here in Sudan.”
Project Photos
Sponsors
Country Details
Sudan
From its independence in 1956 until 2005, Sudanese were caught in ongoing civil warfare between the north and south, resulting in extreme violence and devastation, and what humanitarian organizations call a "lost generation."
Due to its war-torn past, the country
lacks almost every part of what modern society considers a necessity:
access to basic health care services, educational opportunities,
electricity and infrastructure, a working economy, and most of all - clean water.
The country is rebuilding, but is starting from almost nothing. One
recent report indicated there were no more than six miles of paved
roads in all of South Sudan. (Source: WHI)
- Population: 41.3 Million
- Lacking clean water: 30%
- Below poverty line: 40%
- Climate: Tropical in south; arid in north (desert); rainy season varies by region
- Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, English
- Ethnic Groups: Black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, Foreigners 2%
- Life Expectancy: 58 years
- Infant Mortality Rate: 81 deaths per 1000 live births
Partner Profile
Water Harvest International
The Water Project, Inc. is proud to be in partnership with Water Harvest International (WHI), a U.S.-based Christian safe water non-profit with an
operational base in Southern Sudan.
Between 2005 and 2007, several members of the Radler family visited both North and South Sudan on mission trips. Realizing the deep impact that clean water can have not only on a community but also how it can aid in spreading the Gospel, The Radler Foundation decided to start and fund a water drilling operation based in Kajo Keji County, South Sudan.
In May of 2008, as planning and development was taking shape, the Lord blessed the Foundation and brought Stephen Huber on board as WHI's first employee. Stephen moved to Sudan in July of 2008 to set up operations in-country.
