As Water Flows, Lives Change in a South Sudan Village

When World Water Week brings together the world’s leading water experts later this month, places like South Sudan will be top of mind. Here, climate change is causing worsening floods and displacing hundreds of thousands of people each year—conditions that spread dangerous waterborne diseases like cholera. Now, the looming Super El Niño puts communities at even greater risk, as it’s expected to cause a weak rainy season. Without a reliable water source, the implications for agriculture, livestock, and households are severe. Already, an estimated 59% of the population lacks access to clean, safe drinking water. Without this life-giving resource, survival becomes a daily struggle. People in South Sudan die from diarrheal illnesses more than from nearly any other cause. And when finding water becomes the focus of each day, a community’s ability to educate, work, and pursue good health falters.

Yet even for the most pressing water challenges, there is hope. CMMB recently installed sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure in the village of Moriyok. The impact was immediate. As reliable, clean water flows for the first time, everything has changed for families in this South Sudan community.

Connecting a Small Village to a Sustainable Water Source

Moriyok is a village of 12,000 people close to Juba, South Sudan’s capital. Life is hard here, especially for the women and girls who are tasked with fetching water. For too long, that task required a long, hot journey to the nearest water source, and the water they found was not always clean. After a deadly outbreak of cholera began in September 2024, CMMB South Sudan provided families with P&G Purifier of Water (POW) sachets so they could treat and clean their collected water.

With support from a generous donor, Cletus Conover, we constructed a permanent solar-powered borehole in Moriyok. This deep well, connected to an elevated 10,000-liter storage tank, provides the community with clean, safe drinking water. A local water committee provides oversight and maintenance to safeguard this gift for years to come. Already, life in Moriyok has changed for the better.

Jenity’s Story: Relief for Her Daily Burden

The Moriyok Water Yard means that 62-year-old Jenity can now easily collect and transport clean, safe water for her family to use at home.

The responsibility of collecting water began when Jenity was just a girl. Each day, she left her home and walked for an hour to the nearest water source. Decades passed, but nothing changed. At 62, she still made the daily journey, her body aching from an effort that grew more difficult with each passing year.

“I often wondered if this burden would ever end,” she told us.

People had visited the community many times, promising they would build a water source. But nothing changed. When CMMB South Sudan came to assess the area and explore the possibility of installing a sustainable water yard, Jenity did not get her hopes up. She had seen this before.

But this time, it was different. “When they came back and started building the water point, my life and my family’s life changed completely. God had seen my tears,” she said. “Today, the water yard is only one minute from my home.”

Jenity finally has what all people deserve: reliable access to clean, safe drinking water. And she has gained so much more. “The long walks used to leave me exhausted. Now I save my energy and have more time for my family and household work. I no longer worry about carrying heavy containers over long distances,” she told us.

“Life is much easier and more dignified.”

Apayi’s Story: More Time for Family and Work

Apayi, a working mother of four, can now dedicate more time to her family and growing small business because she no longer has to travel long distances to collect water.

Apayi’s days are filled to the brim. Her four young children demand her constant care and attention. She also runs a small business from home, a pursuit that generates income and fills her with purpose. Together, her work and her children are enough to occupy all the hours of the week. But each day, another pressing need came first. She had to find water.

Like the other families in her community, Apayi walked long distances to collect the water her family needed to drink, cook, and clean. It cost her valuable time that could have been spent caring for her children or growing her business.

When CMMB South Sudan installed a new water system, Apayi reclaimed the hours she had lost. “My children are healthier, and our daily activities are much easier,” she said. “I have more time for my business, and my children have more time for school and other important activities.”

Kakau’s Story: Finding the ‘Water of Peace’

Kakau, a loving grandmother of three, remembers the challenges scarce access to water used to cause in her community. Now, she refers to the water available at the Moriyok Water Yard as “water of peace.”

A grandmother of three, Kakau’s days once revolved around a single, exhausting task. In every type of weather, on every day of the week, she joined the other women and girls in her community in the long line for water. Some days, when the flow of water was slow and the line was long, she stood and waited from morning until early afternoon, scorched by the sun.

The long waits sometimes led to arguments and misunderstandings. Relationships were strained and friendships were lost, all over an unreliable, and often unsafe, water supply. “Some days I could only get about 20 liters,” Kakau recalls. “It wasn’t enough for drinking, washing, or cooking. And standing for long hours was very hard for me.”

Now, the queues have vanished. The new water system installed by CMMB South Sudan has multiple tap points, so several community members can fetch water at the same time, without the long journey or the uncomfortable wait. The water flows freely, and it is clean and safe.

“I come, fill my container, and go back quickly,” Kakau shared. “Life is calmer. We call it Móya ta Salam (water of peace).”

Bringing Water Security to More Places

After generations of struggle, the resilient people of Moriyok have peace, health, and hope for a better future. Now, they know water will be there when they need it. As World Water Week approaches, CMMB’s work in Moriyok shows the transformation made possible when communities, local government, and donor-supported organizations like ours collaborate to solve water challenges. CMMB will continue to walk toward a future where more communities gain life-changing access to water.