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Projects & Progress

Nigeria: Imo State

Sancta Maria School, Umuaka

The Situation

The surrounding community, Umuaka, has a population of 25,000.  On a daily basis the population of people within the water site neighborhood is between 3,000 and 5,000.  Villagers typically walk several miles daily, in very tiring conditions, to get water for domestic and drinking water needs.  Limited access to water, and the poor quality of water available, have a negative impact on health in this community, as well as on education, especially for young girls.

At the Sancta Maria School, community members have joined with 3for5 partner Milennium Water Alliance (MWA), and MWA's member Eagle of Hope, to raise more than half of the funds to build badly-needed well and sanitation facilities. 3for5's grant will provide the rest of the funding to complete the project, also enabling Eagle of Hope to implement hygiene promotion programming.

The Project

Eagle of Hope is facilitating completion of the Sancta Maria School project, while Catholic Relief Services (CRS), another large MWA member with considerable operations in Nigeria, will provide monitoring and evaluation of the project including quality certification of the infrastructure built.  This infrastructure includes a 415 ft. borehole and storage tank that can hold 10,000 gallons of water.  Latrines and pipes to distribute water to the school will also be constructed.

Sancta Maria School has a total of 1,646 direct beneficiaries: 1,573 students (730 boys and 843 girls) at the nursery, primary and secondary school levels, as well as 73 teachers and staff.  This project will provide water to the school - its primary recipient - and also to the immediate surrounding community, which has experienced extreme water shortages year-round, especially in the dry season.  Altogether, this project will have direct impact on nearly 3,000 people.

Last but not least, community leaders, school officials, parents and children will participate in a public ceremony celebrating the project's completion and will be given materials to circulate to other family members and neighbors about hygiene practices and the need for sustained commitment to improved WASH facilities in the area.

Click here to see a map of this specific project.

More Info

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