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Providing Clean Water to a Community in Need

Providing Clean Water to a Community in Need

URBOND is charity working in the Republic of Guinea to provide primary education to children who would otherwise go without. One of URBOND’s main campaigns in supporting child education is Building Schools where there is no current access to education – the charity is constructing a school in a village called Koutayah where previously children have had to make a dangerous see crossing just to get to school in next town.

During the planning of the school, URBOND representatives identified that Koutayah also suffered from not having access to clean running water. Through speaking with locals in the village, it was discovered that mothers and children would walk journeys of 7-8km to fetch water for their families. It has been recorded that 1/3 of Guineans drink unsafe water, with rural villages such as Koutayah suffering the most.

On 22nd May, URBOND began the construction of the water borehole on site of the new school building. After two days of digging, the charity brought clean water to the children and the locals who previously had no access.

Giving children in Koutayah education is giving them tools to work their way out of poverty but water is the most basic need in the world.

Benefits of the Project

With a safe water point close to school, children's attendance rates will increase significantly. Girls will no longer have to stay home during their menstrual cycles. Toilet facilities will keep children on the school campus during the day. Handwashing facilities reduce the spread of disease and therefore reduce absence in children’s school attendance.

Having access to safe water and sanitation will greatly reduce the spread of disease. Providing a safe water facility can improve the overall health of an entire community for now and for years to come.

The responsibility of fetching water usually falls to mothers and young girls. By having an accessible facility in their community, women and girls will no longer have to journey far from home, where they're at risk of violence and kidnapping.

Impact of the Project

Koutayah and nearby villages have a population of approximately 3,500 people. These villages will now have access to clean water on a daily basis.

Case Study: Moriba Camara

“My name is Moriba Camara. I was born and raised in Koutayah, and my parents and grandparents are all from here. Throughout my childhood and up until now at age 73, we have always walked about 6km to fetch water and walked 6km back to the village. For the past 20 years, we have had many organisations and the government promising us clean water, but they never kept their promises.

To be honest, when URBOND purchased land in Koutayah to build a school so the children wouldn’t risk their lives crossing the sea to go to school, we never believed it would be done.

However, witnessing everything they have been doing here has given us, our children, and our grandchildren hope. You can sense that they deeply care and want to help us.

Saying this borehole is life-changing is an understatement. I know our ancestors will be praying for everyone involved in this project. We don’t have much to give, but we are praying for URBOND and their supporters every day for God to keep giving them the strength to help those in need.

I will be happy to go to my grave knowing Koutayah has clean water and that we have people who care about us.”

URBOND would like to thank GRP Solutions Ltd for sponsoring this life-changing project for the village of Koutayah, the support is truly appreciated. Water is the most basic need in the world, which unfortunately millions of people across the world go without. With the support from our sponsor, it has been made possible to change the lives of an entire village and surrounding areas for now and years to come.

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