bongo village, south sudan
COMPLETE
STATUS
people impacted
dollars funded
funded April 29, 2021
Currently there is drought. Right now many families have had to leave their homes because the water is dried-up. For those who stay in the area, because it’s so dry now, they go 18 km daily to Nachodopelei to get water where there is a drilled well–that is, the women go, the women do it. They really suffer. The old people really suffer, too, because they can’t make any migration trips. When it rains they drink from ponds.
The people give sourghum to the chief who allows them to take water in that far away village. They get an early start, at 5am, to walk to queue up in the line and they wait until they get some water because many people come for the water.
Hygenic disease is common due to lack of enough water to keep clean. The drinking water causes much illness. Chronic thirst. These are Toposa people tribe. Mostly unreached, at best under reached.
The church is active and growing. Discipleship and sharing the gospel with others is a key training among this ministry. They go and establish home churches and they begin to multiply. The community at large is responding to the gospel. Still, they have many challenges of school and health facilities, but the major immediate need is water. Providing a deep well would be a testimony to show the love of Jesus and to show that the Lord has not forgotten them.
COMPLETED OCTOBER 25, 2021
The well at Bongo Village, South Sudan is complete! The people are enjoying clean water and no longer do they have to suffer and migrate when drought causes thirst each year as the water dries up during dry season. It has been raining a lot lately, but the dry season will come again.
Our ministry partner reports that the people are thanking God that now they have clean water within their area. Many other people are coming because it’s the only water point we have in the wide surrounding Bongo area. Since the deep well was completed, a crop of sorghum within water flow from the well was planted and is now its ready for harvest. Not only can the people drink clean water, but also it has provided food! May the Lord open the ears and eyes and hearts of all who come to this well to drink.
They say, “Thank you for partnering with us in discipleship and church planting work. And helping us by providing clean water and helping Bongo-Kalobeleny churches. May God richly bless the Kirby Fickter Family.”
Testimony of Marino Lotabo:
My name is Marino Lotabo and I have 4 kids. We thank God for the new borehole in our village which is a dream to us since we never knew that one day we will have a clean water in our village. I know this has come because of the church we have in our village. And now I see that if we pray to God good things start to come to our village. Before, we used to migrate to Kuron, 80km away from here, to search for clean water during dry season. It was tough for our elderly and children. During rainy season, “Abwel” (Dam in Toposa Language) with unclean water was what we depended upon, and we shared with wild animals and domestic animals. My family and other people in the village were having stomach problems due to unclean water from “Abwel”. I will never forget in my life one time when we were moving to Kuron, it was a worst dry season when all people in Bongo area migrated. I was in a cattle grazing camp at that time and my family and wife were at home. My wife was caring for my old grandfather and so the time came where people moved. My wife put my grandfather on a donkey for a ride since he couldn’t walk more than 80km away. My family moved slowly by slowly due to donkey’s journey is always not fast. My wife was alone with children and she was few months pregnant although my younger brother Lokie was with them, he helped them move. It was 12 noon they had reached Lokuruwa where there is water point for people to drink, but they found the water point is empty and dry yet the journey was still long. My grandfather didn’t reached the final destination but died due to thirst. Not only my grandfather died on thirst but we have many people we have lost through the same in the past.
Thank you!
Marino Lotabo and his 4 children at the new well
The villagers welcome others to share their clean water
Many people from nearby areas come to the well.
A young guy, Joseph, drinking clean water from the new deep well.
Here are the images of the permanent memorial marker for Kerbie Fickter, taken soon after it was fixed at the Bongo well site. These photos were not meant to be the final photos, they were install photos. There was no one at the well at that time, so they did not take any photos to show the well being used with the marker fixed.
Sadly, when they came back to take final completion photos of people using the well with the marker, it was missing! They were shocked that it was gone.
They do not know who took it, but believe it was most likely children because they would have no idea why such an item would be put there. Heaven’s Family will replace the metal marker with a permanent concrete marker.
Despite the missing marker, the well is helping to advance the kingdom. The people see that our partners who are working there care and accept them and are helped both physically and spiritually. There is now an open air church at the Bongo well! And more disciples continue to be added in Jesus’ name!
Thank you! God bless you!
Not sure how they tell whose cans are whose!
Little boy pumping clean water…so many cans!
Clean, fresh water, shared with all!
This is the open air church near the Bongo well. Thank you for sponsoring this well! Not only are so many people enjoying clean water and better health, but because of this amazing gift of clean water, there is more opportunity to spread the Gospel and for people to learn about the Lord. Thank you!
The arrow marks where the church is, in proximity to the well. It really is a great place to meet as everyone can have access to clean water and take water home, too!
