Engage Now Africa and LDS church commission boreholes for five communities in Upper East communities

Five communities in the Kassena-Nankana West District of Ghana's Upper East Region have been supplied with solar-powered mechanised boreholes to enhance access to clean and dependable water. The installations are situated in the towns of Yua, Kazigu, Pungu-Manchoro, Kandiga-Abempingo, and Mirigu. These projects were funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and carried out in collaboration with Engage Now Africa – Ghana as part of their efforts to address pressing water needs and enhance the quality of life in the targeted communities.

The solar-powered systems are anticipated to deliver a more dependable and sustainable water supply, simultaneously decreasing the time residents, particularly women and children, spend on arduous journeys to fetch water. During the commissioning ceremonies, Cecilia Amankwah, the Country Director of Engage Now Africa, highlighted the detrimental impact of inadequate access to safe water on communities, especially children.

"It's extremely sad and draining," she lamented. "When you visit communities lacking access to drinking water, and particularly when you observe young children who should be in school but instead are carrying buckets on their heads and trekking long distances in pursuit of water, it's truly heart-wrenching. By the time they reach school, they are already exhausted.

What can they possibly study or learn in that state?" Mrs Amankwah emphasized that the organization's commitment to water access is central to their mission. "That is what drives what we do as an organization. And we are incredibly fortunate that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is joining us in providing these communities with clean water."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' representative, Ezra Taft Otoo, stated that the projects arrive at a crucial juncture for the beneficiary communities.