Water Brings Fresh Hope to a Village in South Sudan
Good health requires safe water. When clean, safe drinking water is easy to access, communities can avoid illness and disease, support the economic advancement of women and the education of children, and grow and safely prepare food. When water is hard to find or unreliable, families suffer.
In South Sudan, finding water is a daily challenge, especially for communities in rural areas. This African country faces multiple crises: protracted violence, seasonal flooding, famine, and a deadly cholera outbreak. At the same time, an estimated 59% of the country’s 11.9 million people lack access to safe water.
CMMB is working to bring sustainable water solutions, like wells and rainwater harvesting infrastructure, to more places in South Sudan. Today, because of a donor’s generosity, another village celebrates flowing water—and fresh hope for a healthier future.
A Daily Struggle to Find Clean Water
Moriyok is a village of more than 12,000 people, located close to Juba, South Sudan’s capital. Like so many other communities in this young country, Moriyok has no reliable water supply. Instead, its people must travel long distances to find water. Typically, this arduous task falls to women and children, often girls.
Time that could be devoted to work or school is instead spent walking long distances to find water. The journey is physically demanding, and women and girls risk being targets of violence along the way. There is no guarantee that the water they find will be safe for drinking. But without water, there is no life.
When water is this scarce, families cannot afford to spare a drop. As handwashing and washing food become a lower priority, illness spreads. Diarrheal diseases are the second-leading cause of death for children in South Sudan.
Cholera, which spreads through contaminated water, is also a threat. An outbreak of the deadly disease began in September 2024, causing more than 98,000 cases and 1,624 deaths. One of the regions that has been most affected by the ongoing outbreak is Central Equatoria, the state where Moriyok is located.
CMMB has been distributing P&G Purifier of Water (POW) sachets so families can clean their water supplies. This technology gives Moriyok’s residents protection from cholera and other waterborne illnesses, but it’s only a short-term solution. Moriyok needed a sustainable water source, a pathway to better health.
As Water Flows, Hope Builds in Moriyok
Earlier this year, the people of Moriyok experienced something incredible. Beautiful, clean water flowed out of brand-new spouts into empty buckets. Thanks to the generosity of a CMMB donor, and through partnership with the local government and community, Moriyok now has a dedicated water yard.
The solar-powered facility consists of a deep, narrow well, called a borehole, that reaches groundwater and brings it to the surface. The new WASH infrastructure expands access to equitable, safe drinking water to over 5,000 homes.
For Moriyok, this was cause for celebration. Local government officials, religious leaders, and many community members came out to celebrate as CMMB handed the Moriyok Center Water Yard over to the community. A local water committee has assumed responsibility for maintaining this valuable new resource.
Thank You to Our Donor
In a place where its absence created a daily struggle, water is now giving life. Women have more time to support their families. Girls can spend their days learning in classrooms. And with a reliable water source that’s close to home, families can embrace better sanitation and hygiene to help them stay healthy.
Without the generosity of our donor, none of this was possible. Thank you, Cletus Conover. Your gift of health, dignity, and hope creates an impact that will grow for years to come.