Lofa County – As dawn breaks over Dopa Village in Foya District, Lofa County, the day begins not with the promise of opportunity, but with a familiar and exhausting routine. Before children prepare for school and families begin their daily chores, women and young girls set out on a long walk into the forest, balancing empty containers on their heads. Their destination is a stagnant pond more than a kilometer away, the only source of water the community has known for generations.
By Patience M. Jones
In Dopa Village, access to safe drinking water remains an unfulfilled necessity rather than a guaranteed right. The reality of life in the village was recently brought into public focus through a report shared by Plan International Liberia on its official Facebook page, highlighting a crisis that residents say has been ignored for far too long.
The village, located a few kilometers from Laypaloe, has never had a protected or reliable water source. Instead, families depend on an unprotected pond hidden deep in the forest. The water, often murky and stagnant, is used for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other household needs. Despite its visible contamination, it remains the only option for survival.
Fetching water is a daily burden that falls heavily on women and girls. Pregnant women and mothers carrying young children make the journey under the scorching sun, sometimes multiple times a day.
The walk is physically demanding, and the water they bring back often carries hidden dangers. Residents report frequent illnesses, particularly among children, including diarrhea and other waterborne diseases linked to consuming unsafe water.
“We have been drinking water from this pond for as long as we can remember. Our children often get sick, but we have no other choice,” said Touwo, a mother and long-time resident of Dopa Village. Her words reflect the quiet desperation shared by many families who have learned to live with illness as part of daily life.
Yet, amid these challenges, resilience defines the spirit of Dopa. Children, despite their vulnerability, walk several kilometers each day to attend school. Parents continue to encourage them, holding onto the belief that education offers a path toward a better future, one that might eventually free them from the hardships their community faces today.
The struggle for water intensifies during the dry season. As the pond dries up, families are forced to turn to a nearby river. While it offers temporary relief, residents have no way of knowing whether the water is safe. The uncertainty deepens anxiety and increases the risk of disease, leaving families constantly torn between thirst and health.
The Village Chief of Dopa has repeatedly voiced concern over the situation, describing the lack of safe drinking water as the village’s most urgent challenge. He noted that women and children bear the heaviest burden, both physically and emotionally, as they are the ones tasked with fetching water and caring for sick family members.
Development advocates and humanitarian partners say the solution is within reach. The installation of a borehole with a protected water point could dramatically transform life in Dopa Village. Access to clean water would reduce waterborne diseases, improve sanitation and hygiene, ease the daily workload of women and girls, and allow children to grow and learn in healthier conditions.
For the people of Dopa, safe drinking water represents far more than pipes and pumps. It symbolizes dignity, health, and hope. It is the difference between surviving and truly living, between constant worry and the possibility of a stable, productive future.
