Back to School With Clean and Safe Water

Just last month, a donor visited the Central African Republic to see the impact he has had…and he brought his pre-teen son along, as well. Without really planning on it, he was moved to launch a campaign to bring a new well to one school in the village of Borosse.

The plan was to just drop off a soccer ball that we brought from the US. As we drove by one village with lots of kids, we let them know that we would plan to swing back by this afternoon to drop off a soccer ball and maybe play a pick up game, since my son loves soccer. I was not prepared for the welcome we received when we came back. Everyone from the 6 surrounding villages seemed to be waiting. Over 300 children surrounded the field, most of them barefoot and all of them ready to watch or play soccer. The Village Chief and School Headmaster both met us at our car and escorted us to seats of honor. We all watched and cheered together like it was a World Cup.

This village has the only school in the area, and it serves over 500 children a day from the 6 surrounding villages. The Headmaster showed me the 20ft x 15ft classroom. I thanked the Village Chief for his amazing show of hospitality. He covered his heart with his hand and said through our translator, “This is the African way.” I looked the Chief in the eye, shook his hand and promised him that I would build him a well in his village. When he asked when, for some reason, I responded, “We will get started in 1 month.”

Through the amazing generosity of this donor and his friends and family who all chipped in, Water for Good has already drilled this well and the pump and latrines have been installed! The students at Borosse will be going back to school with clean, safe water and more sanitary restrooms for years to come.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away at St. Boris School…

The community had a functioning, deep water well that Water for Good had drilled over 9 years ago. Our local technicians diligently maintained the well for years, replacing worn parts and making adjustments to the hand pump. However, about a year and a half ago, our technicians reported that there were problems with the well, and it eventually failed. We attempted to do a major overhaul that might rehabilitate the well, but it was not possible, and it started to run dry. This left the school children and surrounding community relying on a nearby, unsafe water source. The other option was walking much further to another well, where they had hours-long wait times to fill up their water jugs.

This year, we worked with a new partner, Drink Local Think Global, and we were able to drill a new well at the school, restoring clean, safe water for the students and nearby community. Local maintenance teams will continue to maintain St. Boris School’s water pump, keeping the clean, safe water flowing.

These two schools are just the beginning. Together, we can bring water to every school in one region of the country by 2020, and to the whole country by 2030.

As this school season gets underway, please know your donations to Water for Good have a lasting effect on the lives of school children all across Central Africa — for this year and for many years to come! Please consider joining this movement, and donate today!