The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) recently completed the Water Access Capacity Building project. This project improves hygiene practices and access to clean water for thousands of Sudanese in West Darfur, benefiting a total of 56,895 people.

In less than a year, ADRA constructed 21 new wells and rehabilitated 85 broken wells in West Darfur. ADRA also trained 20 community hygiene promoters to encourage safer hygiene practices in western Darfur. They held 17 community presentations and conducted 1,108 visits to individual households between April and July of 2005.

More than 200 hand pump mechanics, including 55 women, were also taught how to repair and operate the wells. “The Omdas Sheiks (village leaders) were closely involved in mobilizing the community in this initiative,” stated LoNita Fattic, country director for ADRA Sudan. “This helps to keep the communities involved and increases the likeliness of sustainability in the community. Moreover, training both men and women . . . contributes to sustainability as well. If the men go away to work in another region, or they are drafted into military service, the women will be able to repair the pumps, and the community will have an improved supply of water due to the decreased downtime for the pumps,” continued Fattic.

The project, valued at $900,000, was funded by the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO) through ADRA Denmark. The project began on September 27, 2004, and ended August 7, 2005.

ADRA has been active in Sudan since 1979, primarily in the areas of providing food security, health care, and water and sanitation. Its other initiatives include economic development, such as small business development, literacy training, and assisting internally displaced persons from southern Sudan to return to their areas of origin.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity. Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.