People in Sudan have been suffering from dirty water
According to the recent report published in 2017 by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP), approximately 2.1 billion people across the globe are still using water from non-piped supplies (including boreholes, protected wells and springs, rainwater and packaged or delivered water).
The Republic of Sudan, where Rocinantes has its base, is not an exception from this issue of water, and it has a significant impact upon people’s lives. Under this project, we aim to set up a well with a water-supply facility providing safe and clean water to the people of Um Semema village located in the Um Dam Haj Ahmed locality of North Kordofan state. Currently, people of the Um Semema village use dirty water for cooking, washing and even for drinking due to the limited access to safe and clean water.
Two wells in the village are currently in operation but they are not sufficient to provide water for all. As a result there are many villagers who still can’t get safe and clean water even if they started to queue from early morning. The only option for those who couldn’t get clean and safe water is to collect dirty water and drink it to survive. Women and children leave home early in the morning in order to collect water for the sake of survival. Having no access to safe and clean water has not only caused the spread of infectious diseases but also deprived children of the opportunity to receive education.
For enquiries, please contact the following email address:
Photo: Kazuya Sudo
In co-operation with Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Rocinantes will deliver “pure water” to Sudan.
This project will be conducted in co-operation with Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. It will be a pioneering collaborative project between religious institutions such as Kiyomizu-Dera Temple and international aid organisations such as Rocinantes to engage with aid activities in Africa.
The driving agenda of Rocinantes: “delivering water to people in need ? the origin of life which protects and nurtures human life” has brought Kiyomizu-Dera Temple on board, whose principle image is the Thousand-armed Kannon, an embodiment of water.
Message from Kiyomizu-Dera Temple
Let us share a moment to think together.
In your everyday life when you
drink fresh water while you feel very thirsty:
find a beautiful flower blossoming on a street you always walk by:
encounter the beauty of nature such as cherry bloosoms, autumn leaves, or the rising and setting sun:
managed to travel safely to a place you wanted to go:
receive some aid when you are unwell or injured:
put on clothes, eat meals, and sleep soundly without having have to worry about the weather:
feel grateful for someone’s generosity and kindness:
see genuine smile or experience joy, happiness or excitement:
learn your beloved one is well today.
You must feel happy.
All of these things are not to be taken for granted. They are vulnerable and fragile and are thus precious. They are not something made for you. Rather you make them happen and protect them with other people.
We believe that everyone has this capacity and we, too, want to join with you to make society a better place to be. This is why we have decided to co-operate with the project driven by Rocinantes as one of the first concrete steps to take things forward. We would very much appreciate it if you could understand the agenda of the project and share the spirits of prayer and compassion.
Gassho.
Junji Naito Photographs
Message from Dr. Naoyuki Kawahara, the representative of Rocinantes.
It has been sixteen years since I first came to Sudan. During these years, the country has experienced significant changes, including the ending of the Second Sudanese Civil War; government under the peace agreement; the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS); and then the independence of South Sudan. I myself have taken major shift in my life, including resignation from my medical position at the Embassy and the establishment of the Rocinantes.
Over the past twelve years since I started working in aid activities, living in this harsh environment, I have observed what are the challenges faced by people in Sudan.
I have been offered a glass of dirty water by local people in villages in the region a number of times. As a medical doctor, I am well aware how dangerous it can be to drink such water. However, I drunk it up whenever I was offered. Aid never achieves its ultimate purpose if you take an attitude of “offering support”. You need to join forces together. And to do so you have to build mutual trust. As the old saying goes “eating off the same transfer” (meaning living under the same roof), you can gain trust by drinking up the water given to you no matter how dirty it is. Moreover, as this water is precious for the locals in the village. I can’t bring myself to refuse by saying “I can’t drink”.
However, no matter how precious it was, the dirty water was dirty water in the end and I became ill in the following days for more than enough times. Every time I was laid up for a few days, I thought to myself “If I were a baby, I may not recover and instead die.” I have observed how local children become ill any number of times. Having said that, even such dirty water is better than no water. Sometimes, you can spend a whole day searching for water in the desert without finding even dirty water. I have been wanting to solve this water issue for a long time. I am very pleased that we are finally ready.
I visited Um Semema village in the state of North Kordofan where the Rocinantes delivers the Nutrition Improvement Project. Driving for two hours in the sand after I had left a paved road, the temperature was over 40℃ in early March. There were lots of containers including steel drums being piled up on a trolley around the small well and many women and children were working hard to collect water. Saying “although I’d like to go to school, collecting water is important for my family”; children continued to work hard after the time came for them to go to the school. The water tank for the other well was set underground. I wouldn’t call it clean water; it was even shared between human and farm animals.
It reaffirmed my determination to engage with the water problem. As the first step, I would like to deliver clean water to the Um Semema village.
In co-operation with Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Rocinantes has launched the fund raising project in order to bring life-saving water to Sudan. I would very much appreciate your co-operation and support.
For enquiries, please contact the following email address:
Junji Naito Photographs
What your donations enable us to achieve
With your donations, approximately 10,000 people living in and around the Um Semema village will have access to clean and safe water. Moreover, about 6000 farm animals, including donkeys and sheep which are essential for people to live in this region, will be able to live on safe and clean water. It also frees women and children from the burden of water-collecting, requiring them to travel long distances. The time freed up enables women to earn income for the households while children to go to school.