World Hope International Dedicates Seven Solar-Powered Water Systems With Treatment Units to the Liberian Government, Bringing Clean and Safe Drinking Water to Over 40,000 Residents

MONROVIA, LIBERIA -World Hope International (WHI), a Christian relief and development organization, has dedicated seven mini-grid complex solar-powered water systems comprising seven elevated water towers and 17 water kiosks to the Government of Liberia, a significant milestone in expanding access to safe drinking water in underserved communities.

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By Francis G. Boayue

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The dedication, held on Friday, October 16,  covers four project communities in Montserrado and Margibi counties under the project title: “Improved Access to Safe Drinking Water in Liberia Project”.

The water systems are expected to benefit more than 40,000 residents, providing access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water for household use and other essential needs.

The beneficiary communities include Baypolu, Yarwuellie and Dolo Town in Margibi County, and the Sarah Johnson Community at 15 Gate in Kingsville, Lower Montserrado County.

The initiative addresses longstanding water challenges in these rural and peri-urban communities, where residents have often struggled to find safe and reliable water sources.

Each system combines a solar-powered submersible pump system with a borehole and an elevated concrete tower with six 1,500- or 1,000-gallon storage tanks, each equipped with inline erosion chlorination treatment units.

These solar panels, which power submersible pumps in the boreholes, lifting groundwater into the storage tanks from which it is distributed through the seventeen (17) community water kiosks.

The inline erosion chlorination system is intended to treat the water for possible impurities, allowing routine treatment year-round, while the solar energy is expected to reduce dependence on conventional electricity and fuel-powered pumping.

Through the 17 kiosks, residents will have water closer to their homes, reducing the time and effort spent collecting it from distant or unreliable sources.

Women and children, who often carry much of the household water-collection burden, stand to gain more time for education, livelihoods and family care.

The facilities are also expected to contribute to improved public health, community development and empowerment, creating opportunities for employment and livelihood activities for women and girls.

Originally implemented by Winrock International and partners with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Improved Access to Safe Drinking Water in Liberia Project came to a halt when President Trump froze all USAID funding globally.

This disrupted implementation, leaving critical water infrastructure unfinished and the communities and towns hopeless.

Recognizing the importance of completing the facilities, the Government of Liberia(GoL), through the National WASH Commission, engaged WHI to mobilize resources to fund and implement the Project.

 WHI then took responsibility for funding and completing the Project, which had been stalled due to the USAID funding freeze.

‘‘Today, we celebrate this massive achievement as water now flows in these previously abandoned communities and towns. The transition underscores the value of collaboration among the Government of Liberia, National WASH Commission and International humanitarian organizations in closing gaps in water service delivery and safeguarding investments in essential public infrastructure.’’

Beyond construction and dedication, WHI stressed that long-term sustainability would depend on community ownership, routine maintenance, responsible water use, and effective management, as community water committee trainings were held to equip them with sustainable water management and governance skills.

Speaking at the dedication, the WASH West Africa Regional Director,  Elijah Kihara Maina of World Hope, emphasized the need to keep the facility functional for years to come: “We have trained your technicians, your WASH committee, and your leadership. This project is now yours. You must take ownership of it. We want to come back after ten years and still see this facility alive and serving the people of these communities,” Maina said.

His remarks highlighted the importance of strengthening local capacity to manage and maintain the facilities after project completion.

Community Water Committees (CWCs), Water Service

Providers (WSPs), local leaders and relevant government institutions are expected to play key roles in keeping the systems operational and accessible.

Maintenance schedules, water-quality monitoring, financial accountability, and timely repairs will be essential to protecting the investment.

At the dedication, World Hope International CEO & President, Rev. Jenn Petersen, addressing the gathering in absentia through the Liberia Office Administrator, S. Josen Fahn Jr., greeted the community and leadership of the government present and said her heart was with them.

In her remarks, she said, “Today, we celebrate these towers and kiosks bringing safe, clean water right into the heart of Dolo Town, Baypolu, Yarnwuellie, and Sarah Johnson. This means fewer long walks. Fewer sick children. More time for school, for work, for family. That is something worth celebrating!”

She acknowledged that the project faced obstacles along the way and paid tribute to the teams and community members who saw it through.

“This project was not an easy one. There were starts and stops. There were challenges. There were days when the finish line felt very far away. And yet, our team kept going,” she said.

As it is written in Hebrews 12:1-2, she commended the Liberia WASH team and the community for their perseverance.

 “Our Liberia WASH team ran with perseverance, and you have waited with perseverance. To World Hope WASH Manager, Teron SY Bartuah, Sr., every technician, every driver, every community mobilizer, and every local leader who refused to give up, thank you. You didn’t just finish the race. You finished it well,” Petersen said. She added that the team was surrounded throughout by “a great cloud of witnesses”: the mothers, fathers and children of the Project Communities who cheered them on.

She urged families to take ownership of the new facilities.

“So, to the families of Dolo Town, Baypolu, Yarwuellie and Sarah Johnson, this water is yours. Care for it, protect it and may it bless your children and your children’s children.

Rev. Peterson also took the time to thank the Liberia WASH team: “You carried this project across the finish line, and today we celebrate with you.”

She ended with a blessing for Dolo Town and Liberia.

The handover ceremony attracted dignitaries across government and the humanitarian INGOs WASH sector.

Delivering the dedicatory message,  Chuchu Selma, Country Director for Water Aid Liberia, used the occasion to applaud World Hope International for leading on the Completion of this Project, highlighting that this was the right step in the right direction.

He emphasized that it is now time for the communities to take matters into their own hands to ensure the sustainability and ownership of the Project.

Speaking on behalf of the CEO,  George W.K. Yarngo of the National WASH Commission,  Abed Tobey, Technical Consultant at the Commission, praised World Hope for completing the Project after the USAID funding freeze, saying the communities’ hope has now returned.

He admonished the local community leadership to take action for the ownership and management of these water systems.

 He highlighted that “Media institutions have always reported the lack of safe drinking water in rural communities across the fifteen political subdivisions of Liberia. Today, World Hope International has answered that cry in Baypolu, Yarnwuellie, Sarah Johnson and Dolo Town by providing safe and clean drinking water. We are grateful for this timely intervention,” Tobey said.

Speaking on behalf of the contractors, the Project Manager from BK Enterprise, Abel Folokulah, praised residents for their resilience and urged them to protect the new infrastructure, saying, “Public facilities are not to be taken for granted. This is not just a government or NGO project; it is your own project. Now that you have it, you must protect it,” Folokulah said.

For his part,  Moibah Narmah, who represented the Office of the Margibi County Superintendent at earlier handover activities in Gibi District, commended WHI and the National WASH Commission for completing the facilities.

He described the work as commendable and appealed to both institutions to extend similar interventions to other communities in the district that still lack safe drinking water.

At Sarah Johnson, Madam Godgift Mulbah, Chairlady of the Pro-Women Group, pledged to support the maintenance of the water systems and urged residents to use the improved source rather than unsafe shallow wells and creeks.

“We, the women of the Project Communities, promise to maintain this water facility. We are calling on all our people to stop drinking from shallow wells, creeks and untreated water sources and make full use of this newly constructed safe and clean drinking water facility,” the group’s chairlady said.

Madam Godgift Mulbah, speaking on behalf of women and children, underscored the role of safe drinking water in protecting families from preventable illness.

 “Safe water is the best way to protect our children from sickness and infection in rural communities. I am calling on all women to always send their children to the water kiosks; this water will not make us sick,” Madam Mulbah concluded.

Also speaking at the ceremony in Dolo Town was  Ivar K. Jones, Representative – Electoral District #2.

Jones took the opportunity to highlight the water challenges he has witnessed in District #2 and, at the same time, underscore his contribution to supporting the District to have access.

“Today, we are here to commission these systems for use, and I know this is the work of Almighty God. Firstly, let me appreciate World Hope for restoring the hope of the people of Dolo Town, Baypolu, Yarnwuellie, and Sarah Johnson; indeed, you are World Hope, as your name suggests. You come at the right time, when the community’s hope seems lost and today that lost hope flourishes with clean and safe drinking water now flowing in every part of our communities. I want to take this time to thank and appreciate to World Hope International for the job well done. And to the people of Dolo Town and the rest of the communities, please take ownership and protect these water systems, he concluded as he led the dignitaries and high-profile guests to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.’’

The dedication aligns with national efforts to strengthen Liberia’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation.

For residents of Baypolu, Yarwuellie, Dolo Town and the Sarah Johnson Community, the facilities offer a chance to improve daily living conditions and secure a service fundamental to public health and human dignity.

The dedication, however, marks the start of another phase: keeping the systems functional, monitoring water quality regularly, and ensuring management arrangements are transparent and effective.

Sustained cooperation among WHI, the Government of Liberia(GoL), the National WASH Commission, local authorities, Water Service Providers and Community Water Committees is critical to keeping the water system functional year-round.

As the systems move into community use and management, their long-term success will depend on all stakeholders protecting the infrastructure and keeping safe drinking water accessible to the people it was built to serve.