Moriba Town, Sierra Leone, has an estimated population of more than 5,000, and thousands more in the surrounding towns and villages of the Bonthe District.
However, in the impoverished country “access to [clean water] in the provinces is a big challenge and the Bonthe District is no exception,” says our longtime partner Rev. Frances Mambu, executive director Faith Healing Development Organization (FHDO).
What that means for the thousands of children, parents, and elders living there is that they are faced with two choices when it comes to drinking water – and neither is good.
The first, and most common, is to drink untreated water from streams, risking illness, parasitic infections and even death every time they take a sip.
“Many people have to resort to unsafe and untreated water which is responsible for the prevalence of waterborne diseases,” Rev. Mambu told us. “Infections and parasites, mostly found in contaminated water, leads to the largest cause of death in Sierra Leone.”
The second choice is to take what meager funds the family has and spend it on bottled water, a “luxury” which can prevent food from being put on the table, school fees for children being paid and medicines and treatment for illness.
“The need for a water processing plant at Moriba Town cannot be over-emphasized,” he said. “Currently, sachets (plastic pouches) and other purified water is a luxury in the communities due to the fact that they have to be purchased and transported all the way from Freetown.
“This causes the price to be high and many people cannot afford to buy the required quantity they need due to the high prevalence of poverty in the community.”
So, a few years ago when Rev. Mambu asked for support from us to construct a water purification plant and purchase the equipment necessary to package it into sachets, we turned to our supporters – and thanks to them it’s coming to fruition soon.
In addition to making safe water affordable for thousands, the excess revenue from the operation will go to support a local orphanage operated by FHDO.
Take a look at the short video of the water sachets
Thank you to all who made Rev. Mambu’s dream a reality!