Colorado nonprofit combating water scarcity in Sudan

In a piece entitled “Bringing water and life to Sudan,” Stephen Riley spotlights the efforts of Nuba Water Project, a Colorado-based nonprofit.

Riley writes: “There are many places in the developing world where water is an appallingly scarce commodity; where the water the people do have to drink is polluted, making them sick and often killing their children; where, if you are a woman, you must walk for hours to fetch the few gallons of water you do have to use each day. No place on earth has more struggles with water than the rural villages and small towns in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan…

Water and War. This is the one -two punch that has brought the Nuba people to their knees. Now that the war has ended, water is the first need above all others that must be addressed. The mission of Nuba Water Project is to bring a better life to the Nuba people by providing sustainable sources of clean water. An adequate supply of water, especially potable water, is the doorway to economic and social development. By helping solve the problem of scarce water supplies, we free the people to address other pressing needs such as education, public health and building stable communities…

Water shortages and war have been nearly overwhelming challenges for the Nuba. This wicked combination has decimated the population and reduced the Nuba Mountain region to a level of poverty that is extreme even for Africa. Yet there is hope. Now that the long civil war has ended, the Nuba are able to begin rebuilding their lives and their communities. But first, they must have adequate supplies of clean water. This is the starting point for everything else. Without clean water, nothing will change. With clean water, everything becomes possible: emancipation of women from the daily drudgery of fetching water, better public health, reduced infant mortality, children returning to school, food security, and a revitalized economy.”

For full piece, click here.

For more information on Nuba Water Project, click here.