Hope Spring Water Foundation digs borehole for Joga Community

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Hope Spring Water  Charity Foundation, a Britain based Non Governmental Organisation has provided people of Joga community in Ogun State with a motorised pump borehole in a collaborative development project.
The gesture, which is a product of the core mandate of the organisation, was donated to the community to afford the inhabitants of Joga settlement access to portable water.
The Joga  community in Aiyetoro town with a population of about 5,000 residents, heaved a sigh of relief as the gesture will rescue them from the menace of potentially deadly water borne diseases such as malaria, typhoid and diarrhoea just as it will rescue them from other social crises.
While speaking at the well attended handing over ceremony held at the close of last year, the Head of Joga community,  Chief Solomon Akinlotan described the project as a dream come true for the entire villagers.
Chief Akinlotan explained that the community suffer neglect in terms basic necessities of life especially drinkable water and therefore expressed gratitude to the donors for being sensitive to their plight.
The monarch explained that prior to Hope Spring’s Intervention, the community’s only source of water was a stream, which they use for all domestic purposes, including drinking.
He added that women and children bear the burden of walking long distances to fetch water from the stream during dry seasons, adding that the stream dries up and whenit does, the residents are made to even walk farther distance to access water from neighbouring communities.
Other residents of the village lamented that the proximity of the community to the porous Nigerian border with Benin Republic, which gives Herdsmen from the country, the opportunity to settle in the community because of the stream which serves as the source of drinking water for their cattle.
According to a resident, the lonely and bushy nature of the path to the stream leaves the women and girls of Joga exposed to abuse and rape. Hence, a source of safe and clean water in the community was a much needed development clamoured for by inhabitants of the community.
Speaking during the commissioning of the water project at the community, the Ogun State Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Otunba Bimbo Ashiru described the gesture as a step in a right direction.
Ashiru who described portable water as very essential in human existence also applauded the donor agency for  deeming it fit to provide people of the community with water which is proverbially called life.
In his own remarks, the Nigeria Country Director of Hope Spring Charity Foundation, Mr. Temple Oraeki, said Hope Spring preliminary visit to the community confirmed the presence of cattle and cow dungs in the stream adding that a lot of illness in the community is associated with typhoid and malaria, which are water-related diseases.
Temple Oraeki who spoke on behalf of founder, Temitope Odurinde, said Hope Spring Water embarked on what he desribed as ‘an inclusive project’ after consultations with surveyors, the Community Head and community members on the appropriate site for the project.
He disclosed that 5000 Litres tank was installed to store pumped water, which would be served to the community via a tiled stand comprising 5 tap outlets.
Oraeki explained further that the services of a local drilling company, Better-Day Water Engineering Works, was employed to drill and install a motorised pump borehole in the community,pointing out that plumbing and mercenary works were also carried out by trained and skilled members of the community.
According to him,  the outlet taps are located strategically in a central position, which is readily accessible to members of the community and neighbouring communities and a filter was also installed to ensure safety of the water for drinking purposes and safeguard the health of the consumers.
In her own comments, Hope Spring Head of Network Partnerships and Strategy, Mrs Hameedat Balogun said the project was supported by Tower Foundation, A local NGO that helps alleviate poverty in rural communities – and Christ Apostolic Church, Joga in the areas of maintenance and funding as she noted that collaboration is essential in ensuring that every developmental stride is sustainable.
The commissioning exercise was attended by a large number of inhabitants numbering over 400 sons and daughters of Joga community on Saturday, the 22nd of December 2017.
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