Drill a well for 750 villagers in South Sudan.

For more than a month, our team has been visiting communities throughout Wau, South Sudan, to share coronavirus hygiene awareness education in an effort to stop the spread in this extremely vulnerable country. Using information from the World Health Organization (WHO), our boots-on-the-ground team is able to share the importance of being prepared for quarantine, best practices for handwashing, and social distancing in four languages: Arabic, Dinka, Luol, and English. 

As part of this campaign, the WFSS team worked with UNICEF to deliver hygiene supplies (including soap for handwashing) to 25 rural primary health care centers (PHCCs). These remote health centers are the first line of defense for patients seeking medical attention and meet the most basic healthcare needs. 

While visiting the PHCCs, team members identified six sites with broken wells and four sites lacking a well altogether—ten health care centers without running water. In order to provide access to clean water for these centers, WFSS launched a team to rehabilitate the broken wells and drill new wells to ensure that healthcare personnel has the resources to treat ill patients and practice safe hygiene.

We need your help! Many of our supporters have stepped up during the pandemic, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts—yet there is still so much work to be done. Your gift supports our drilling and rehab programs as we work to ensure that the flow of clean water continues for patients visiting primary health care centers in South Sudan.

Links:

• COVID-19 Emergency Response Team Preparing to Launch Campaign
• Founder & Senior Advisor Salva Dut - COVID-19 Response

The 2019-20 drilling season launched in December 2019 with exciting new goals and a second drilling team to expand our reach in South Sudan. Our drilling goal for this year is up to 70 new wells, with the addition of our new second drilling team! Thanks to the success of our Watering the Seeds of Change capital campaign, WFSS was able to purchase two drilling rigs, and have a full second team to drill new wells. The rehab team headed into the field on December 2, to start on their plan to rehabilitate 50 of our older wells. Our hygiene education training has also expanded to a third team so that each village we visit can receive hygiene education training (up to 120 trainings this season).

In January, Executive Director Lynn Malooly and Board Vice President Thomas McCarthy visited our teams and operations center in South Sudan. WFSS has experienced a lot of growth since we drilled our first well in 2005, including the construction and development of our operations center, home of our South Sudan office. The operations center allows us to store our inventory, equipment and vehicles. A newly constructed garage provides work space for our mechanics to service our drilling rigs and vehicles. All of this equips WFSS to continue in our mission to be a leading WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) provider in South Sudan.

During their visit, Lynn and Thomas had the honor to witness the opening of our new multi-use building, many years in the planning. The building houses a large room for meetings and trainings, which can also double as sleeping quarters when our field teams are at the compound. The building also has storage and offices, including an office for Country Director Ajang "AJ" Agok and Technical Advisor Ater "Lion" Thiep, who have not had offices in all the years they have been working in leadership roles at WFSS. And finally, the building provides an indoor kitchen for our compound cooks, who prepare meals three times a day for our staff.

There are so many aspects of life in South Sudan that are a challenge, including providing meals. Our staff would have no way of accessing any kind of restaurant or grocery store during working hours, so we provide meals. In addition, we always have staff staying at the compound during evening hours, for security, and to be available for any communication from the field. The cooks previously prepared food outdoors, cooking on open fires. We are thrilled to provide them with safer and more efficient working conditions. The cooks are overjoyed with their new kitchen, and expressed their deepest appreciation to WFSS staff, Board and donors.

These milestones are evidence of the huge impact from our donors. We are incredibly grateful to you for supporting our mission and the people of South Sudan. Please continue to give generously as we look toward the future and continue to develop this young country. Our work can only be accomplished with your help.

Links:

• Villagers using a hand dug well
• Happy children singing