260 residents of Dwein in the Aboabo area have access to clean water thanks to the Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’

(MissionNewswire) Residents in the Dwein village in the Aboabo area of 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, submersible mechanical water pump and water tank. There are about 600 inhabitants in this particular village and 260 will directly benefit from the new water supply.

While community members were collecting water during the pump and recovery tests, one woman could not hide her joy over the new water access. She said, “You have given a great gift. It is a huge grace for us in these times.”

The chief and elders of Aboabo expressed appreciation, saying “Many years of long distance walking in search of water on a daily basis has now come to an end. Since COVID-19, we have been told to wash our hands regularly. It was funny but pathetic to some of us who don’t have enough drinking water, let alone to wash our hands. With this precious 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. We are highly honored.”

Salesian missionaries in Ghana focus on education and the growing demand for skills training to help youth find and retain stable employment. Salesian missionaries operate four centers across Ghana that serve poor youth who are at risk of exploitation, child labor and human trafficking. There are two centers in the urban area of Accra, a center in Tatale and one in the city of Sunyani, the first place Salesian missionaries launched programs in the country more than 25 years ago.

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 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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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Ghana

World Bank – Ghana