Paynesville – Kuku Koffa was amazed on Wednesday, July 24 while witnessing the dedication of a new water facility in her community.
Kuku is aware the new water source will curtail the lasting difficulties being faced by residents of Police Academy Block-D in fetching safe drinking water.
She says it has been risky for her kids and others in the community to fetch water at long distances, especially during nightly hours.
“Many days our children go distances to other pumps for safe drinking water and they are sometimes abused like sometimes they fight and in other cases, boys will be molesting them,” she told FrontPageAfrica.
The construction of a new hand pump with six faucets for the community now reduces the long distances kids often cover to fetch water.
Kuku says the bulk of the residents in Police Academy Block-D have relied on a private handpump as the only safe source of water but sometimes the pump could not serve the community adequately.
It came as a result of the residents’ constant engagement with the Wehye Humanitarian and Education Foundation.
And she now wants the Foundation to extend its gesture to other parts of the community, where other residents are in dire need of safe drinking water.
During the dedication, the Sponsor of the charity, Benjamin Wehye said the hand pump is part of humanitarian work his foundation is committed to achieving.
“This pump is intended to create safe study time, reduce child abuse and violence perpetrated on children who go far distances to fetch water,” Wehye said.
The foundation recently dedicated a palava hut to the same community as a platform for residents to discuss cardinal issues.
“As Liberians, you don’t have to be rich to help your community and this pump with six faucets will help children to fetch water quickly.”
US$900.00 was spent to build the pump, he said while cautioning residents to maintain the facility.
Wehye’s foundation is also currently partnering with the LICOSSES Mobile Teacher Training College to offer free vacation classes for high school students across Liberia.
Meanwhile, the Community Chairman of Police Academy Block-D, Saturday Garkpah said the hand pump has brought relief to residents who face difficulties to get safe drinking water.