Africa Heartwood Project (AHP) has commenced the construction of at least thirty hand pumps in Bong County Electoral District #6 to provide safe drinking water for residents in the district.
Residents of the area are now breathing great relief following the commencement of the construction of drilled hand pumps in towns and villages.
AHP is a grassroots non-profit organization run by passionate volunteers who have learned a lot about fighting poverty in rural Liberia.
The hand pumps project is being implemented by the Africa Heartwood Drilling and Construction team with funding from donors and other philanthropic organizations in the United States of America.
Speaking at the touring ceremony of the ongoing project, Africa Heartwood Project Country Director Bishop John Maimafolo Moore said that the hand pump project is intended to enhance citizens’ access to safe drinking water.
Bishop Moore explained that he was saddened to see the existence of a whole community without any single source of safe drinking water, which sometimes leads to minor illnesses like malaria and diarrhea.
“We work in partnership with the citizens to identify and eliminate specific constraints to their freedoms using sustainable, participatory, and results-oriented methods. We are targeting thirty communities in the Salala District for hand pump construction, and out of those thirty communities, we have completed five hand pumps,” he added.
Moreover, Bishop Moore noted that the construction of the pumps will be done in two phases. The first phase will involve the construction of 15 pumps, while the second phase will involve the construction of 15 pumps.
He believes that the construction and turning over of hand pumps will greatly help the community in accessing safe drinking water.
The Africa Heartwood Project Country Director revealed that in the affected Towns and villages in Salala District#6, there has been no reliable source of safe drinking water for the inhabitants for decades, something that caught the attention of the Africa Heartwood Project is to provide safe drinking water for those communities.
He further said that since 2021, the Africa Heartwood Project has been involved in the construction of hand pumps in Bong County.
Bishop Moore didn’t provide the estimated cost of the pumps on grounds that they are not interested as an entity.
The Africa Heartwood Project Country Director appealed to the government of President Joseph N. Boakai to see the work they are doing in the rural areas to help them, in turn buttressing their efforts to construct more hand pumps in Bong and other counties.
At the ceremony, a representative or proxy from Salala District Commissioner, Karmone Armah Kanneh, Diggs Singbah praised the Africa Heartwood Project for addressing one of the major needs of citizens in the district.
The Salala District Commissioner proxy recounted the many challenges citizens have encountered in the past in accessing safe drinking water, particularly during the dry season.
Mr. Diggs Singbah explained that when the pump’s construction is completed, it will lessen the burden on citizens when it comes to getting water.
He assured the donor (Africa Heartwood Project) that the gesture would have a significant impact on the history and existence of Salala District, which has faced several years of safe drinking water challenges for its citizens.
“Many times, we find it difficult to get safe drinking water due to the limited water facilities in this area. However, with the intervention of the Africa Heartwood Project, we are so happy,” Ma Nancy Winnie, a resident of JK Morris Town in Salala District stated.
Madam Winnie said that over the past years, they have been drinking unsafe water, which she said is contributing to some health issues among the residents of the town.
With the construction and dedication of drilled hand pumps, residents of those communities will no longer have to travel far and near to find safe drinking water as they did in the past.
They have assured the humanitarian organization that they will take good care of the pumps when they are completed.
