NAKEON VILLAGE, SOUTH SUDAN

FUNDED JULY 12,  2023

Nakeon is a rural village located in the state of East Equitoria, in Kapoeta East County, South Sudan. The place lies about 50 miles from our ministry partner’s mission base. Nakeon is 10 km from another well sponsored by Ingomar Living Waters, Bongo Village.

There is no other clean water source in the area. The people are very poor. In a meeting with the elders, they were expressing the desperate water situation. Our ministry partner feels the need is an emergency for this place. Also, like some of the Nakeon residents walk to Bongo, others from other villages may come and take clean water home from Nakeon, those who will be willing to walk so they may have clean water.

Current water situation: Some families will walk 20 km (round trip) to get water from Bongo. Besides the great distance, walking there is more difficult because the road is not flat; it is rocky and rough. Many others, including smaller kids like Loki and Naomi in the photos below, don’t walk to Bongo. It is just too far and too much of a burden on families that have to take care of animals and other chores. They use the dirty, open, local water pond which serves the village. This water is shared with the animals. The water fills in rain season
and dries up as dry season progresses and the water becomes more putrid. They dip their water containers slowly so the water will be the most clear of dirt. They are unable to bathe with clean water;  they don’t have it, and they are thirsty. They will also collect water from puddles when it rains because water is scarce. There is no organized school for the kids of this village at this time.

Common water-related illnesses are worms, cholera, malaria, typhoid, and dysentery.

We are requesting $13,500 to cover the cost of materials and labor for a deep borehole well and a hand pump, which will provide clean, fresh water to of the 1,000 people living in Nakeon Village.

Nakeon Water Pond

Namoni fetching water and bathing.

We do not do projects unless we have formed an ongoing partnership with a good track record of accountability with any ministry partner who is involved in any Safe Water Ministry project. We require ‘before’ marker photos where the well will be drilled. We collect pertinent details that describe the need, and collect completion photos, reports and testimonies.

We have had several successful projects in South Sudan. Our ministry partner on the ground here, Mark Keter and his wife Lonah, have been serving in South Sudan and Kenya, dedicated to the work to further the kingdom of Jesus. He is associated with Big Life, a ministry whose mission is to work to be effective in disciple-making ministry and disciple multiplication for believers to follow Jesus vs. being a superficial convert. We have been working with Big Life as a ministry partner through Strategic Bible Ministry for some years and are now helping to serve to meet the urgent need for clean water through Big Life affiliates working among under-served groups and unreached people groups. We continue to expand our work in partnership with Big Life.

For payment It depends on the project who receives the funds. We do not pay in full up front for projects. Usually, [we pay] 60% at the commencement and the balance upon completion. Sometimes we send to the partner to then pay the driller. Sometimes directly to the driller. In this case, we will send the funds to our partner and they will pay the driller. We try to make sure of confirmation that the driller will arrive on schedule because sometimes drilling gets delayed. We would rather be in control of the funds vs. the drilling companies.

We desire to protect the ongoing success of the well once it’s complete. As a part of our process, we require all of our ministry partners to agree to prepare for and manage any future maintenance on the well. The receiving partner ministry may take on the responsibility and/or they may create a water commission, have community meetings, and have the community agree to contribute in some way
according to ability. It is very important that the local people know that this is ‘their’ well. When they know they have ownership they will work to take care of it best they can. The whole community agrees how best to manage the water asset. Often times very small fees are charged for the future management of the well. The process varies from place to place.

Here with this particular project, the ministry will direct the management and maintenance for the well. The chief and elders have all met and have officially agreed about the need for ongoing maintenance and the villagers agreed to form a committee that will be collecting money monthly from every household that will help for maintenance. Every household will contribute, but the amount is not decided at this time.

Fetching water from a puddle in Nakeon because it’s a convenient water source.

Providing a deep well will radically change their lives. Life will not be so very hard. They will have close access to clean water, which will be a huge blessing for them. They will experience better health, [and] water-related illnesses will be drastically reduced. Also, providing a deep well will show the love of Jesus to the whole village. We hope that the kingdom of God will be advanced by providing such an amazing gift to the people.

Providing a deep well will be  transformational, making a meaningful and lasting impact on the community. They will no longer suffer so deeply from the  droughts and thirst they endure. Their health will improve greatly. Their hygiene will improve as they will be able to bathe in clean water. They will not have to spend money on medicine for water-related illnesses. We hope the people will see the love of Jesus through the transformational gift of clean water.