Sudan Water Project

Rebuilding Southern Sudan: Safe Drinking Water

Project No. SD98021

September 2007 SIM Sudan Water Project

Dear

What joy your gift brought to our hearts. Your gift along with others from Australia, USA and the UK has allowed us to move ahead with plans to introduce simple water treatment systems in four villages in South Sudan. Thank you for choosing to partner with the Safe Drinking Water project.

Early this month we squeezed two water tanks and other supplies into an AIMAIR plane and flew to Thiangrial in Upper Nile State to begin the process of community discussion and preparation for installing their water treatment system. Whilst Thiangrial is on the banks of the White Nile, women collect water and use it untreated for all household needs including drinking. The black cotton clay soil precludes wells and the sediment and bacteria in the river water cause much sickness and death.

We were joined by 3 representatives of SIM Australia (SIMaid). We called a general meeting of the people of Thiangrial to introduce the treatment system and how it could help them purify the river water. I invited the women to a separate meeting the following day for teaching. And the men came for the same the next day. At these meetings and with the help of a microscope I explained how the water the women carry from the river has many germs and tiny creatures harmful to the health of their families. The women in particular were quick to look down the microscope and shocked by what they saw moving in the water. One asked, “What would we see in clean water?” After comparing the river water to clean bottle water they unanimously agreed Thiangrial needed the water treatment system. One even asked, “How can we clean our water now?” I could only reply by boiling the water or sunlight. I also explained how the moringa tree can be used to clean water and gave them seeds to plant.

In October Jimmy Cox, Daniel Yhor and I will return with the water pump, 3^rd tank, solar panels, and McQuire purification parts to set up the system on the riverbank. A solar powered submersible pump will pump water into the 1st tank for sedimentation overnight. A 2nd tank will receive the water and have the simple solar powered equipment needed to convert common salt to chlorine gas which will kill all germs. After some hours for the chlorine to disperse, the water will be pumped into the 3^rd tank as water ready to drink.

During the 23 years of civil war in South Sudan, Thiangrial was burned four times and their cattle stolen. The last raid was as recent as 2002. The peace accord between South and North Sudan signed in 2005 provide the South with a 6 year window of peace to rebuild. People are slowly returning to areas like Thiangrial, but it is a return to a very basic way of life. Like the Basic Education Learning Centre already in place at Thiangrial for men and women who never finished primary school, the provision of safe-clean drinking water will play a major role in rebuilding South Sudan.

Please join us in praying for God’s guidance and blessing on the establishment and evaluation of this first water purification system.

Barb Hartwig Project Manager