Children of Ayakope
Clean Water for Togo
In many rural villages in Togo, West Africa, there is a lack of clean water for daily drinking and cooking. As a result, many vulnerable persons are at risk for health problems, water-borne diseases, and even death. Abundant clean water exists not far below the surface of the ground, but there is a great need for wells to be installed and maintained in order to bring clean groundwater to the surface for daily use.
The main water source for Ayakope before the well repairs
Solar Well Repair Work
Waterbrook Hills has partnered with The Groupement de Production Agricole (GPA) to help bringing clean water to rural villages in Togo. GPA is an agricultural training cooperative founded in Togo in 1990 to train village farmers in the use of irrigation and other modern farming techniques. In 2005, with the help of the Barn Vineyard Church (“The Barn”) and the Friends of Togo, the GPA added village water supply wells to their business. Over the last 8 years, the GPA crew has learned to repair and install pumps, both electric and hand pumps, repair wells, and drill shallow wells up to 75 feet deep using manual equipment.
The GPA has now drilled wells and repaired pumps in 4 villages. It is their goal to provide enough wells (about one for every 400 people) so that the pumps will not wear out too quickly and lead to maintenance issues. They partner
A Hand-pumped Well for Ayakope
Getting Clean Water
with other local repair technicians and pump manufacturers to make sure that there is always someone nearby to answer the call when problems arise. They are one of only two Togolese contractors drilling wells upcountry, where the terrain is rocky and drilling is difficult. Bill Cocke, a member of The Barn, and a professional geologist, has been to Togo 7 times since 2005 to train the GPA crew, and plans to continue their training for the foreseeable future, expanding their capabilities to include groundwater exploration geophysics and borehole logging. Business manager Natha Dzobi, an agronomist and one of the founders of GPA, is developing an irrigation system using boreholes for the plateau and savanna
Clean Water in Demand
regions, where there is no profitable irrigation system to date. Overall, the GPA is dedicated to providing drinking water and profitable farming techniques to the underserved residents of the upland areas (About 90% of the country) where other contractors are not willing to take the risk of working.
Are you interested in supporting the effort to bring fresh water to rural Togo?
A new pump for a solar well costs $200. A quarter share could be bought for $50. It costs $25 to drill one foot of well that currently carries water from a river or spring. Every $15 can add five watts capacity to a solar panel that powers an electric pump for a village well in Togo.
If you would like to partner with us to bring clean water to Togo through a financial donation we would be very grateful.