RuralFocus Initiative (RFI), in partnership with UK FOR DMB, a United Kingdom-based group affiliated to Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has constructed a mechanised borehole for the pupils of SDA Basic School in Banso, a farming community in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region. This is to help solve an age-old lack of potable water for the school children.
One of the pupils complained: “Since I started this school, this is the water we’ve been drinking. Even when we are in class, we won’t have any water and we have to wait for the teacher to finish before we come here to fetch water.”
Mac-David Tecco teaches at Banso SDA Basic School. He says having seen the nature of the source of drinking water for the kids, he decided to alert RuralFocus Initiative for help. “This was the source of water that we have been using for the past years since I came to this school. And I realised where we have been drinking was bad, so I decided to speak to Mr. Kojo Brace and his team so that they could help the school,” he said.
The Project Coordinator of RFI, Richard Bentum, explains since the problem falls within their area of focus, they embarked on a mission to get them a mechanised borehole. “RuralFocus Initiative is a non-governmental organisation, and our aim is to empower the less-privileged. So, a few months ago, we had a call from the school and our team visited for a conversation to understand their problem.
“Actually, this wasn’t part of our agenda, but throughout our conversation we were made to understand that lack of potable water was a serious problem for the school. They took us to the place where they used to fetch water and it was almost a dried-up stream. In fact, we were very sad, so we decided to construct a borehole for them,” he explained.
He says with about 90 percent of the funding support from the UK FOR DMB – a group affiliated to Vice President Dr. Mahumudu Bawumia, a mechanised borehole has been constructed for the school.
“So we took to social media to solicit for funds, and a group of people based in UK, UK FOR BAWUMIA, came to our aide to support us; and today, with majority of funding from their end, it is so refreshing to see these young kids having access to potable water,” he said.
The Headmistress of the school, Catherine Yalley, said this will bring a huge relief to the school.
“Because previously the children had been going into the community to fetch water from the borehole, and during break time, the children would go and not come back early after the break.
“At times, when they don’t get water there, they go to the stream behind the school to fetch water but that stream has germs that could cause the kids to fall sick. Now that we have this borehole, I hope that the delay of kids returning from break each time will stop, and they will be healthy as well,” she explained.
She promised to ensure the regular maintenance of the facility. “Myself, the SMC and PTA have pledged we will be able to maintain this borehole so that after 10 years, they will come and meet the same thing – new and neat – as it is today,” she stated.
The RuralFocus Initiative have set their sights on providing classroom and washroom infrastructure for Fasin MA Basic, another farming community in the municipality. Their target is to reach as many rural communities in Ghana as possible.
