The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has recently completed a water project that provides improved access to clean water for 35,000 people living near the capital of West Darfur, Sudan.

ADRA has drilled 19 successful boreholes for new wells and installed hand pumps for wells, providing better access to clean water for families in the region. ADRA also rehabilitated 50 existing hand pumps and trained more than 40 residents as hand pump mechanics.

The newly constructed wells are in community villages, public schools, mosques, and governmental compounds. ADRA has also worked closely with WES, a local government office for Water, Environment and Sanitation, UNICEF, and in partnership with several other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the region.

“Among the five rigs working in West Darfur, ADRA’s rig is the most powerful and suitable for the environment,” said Taisei Suzuki, program officer for the ADRA office in Japan. “Because of its uniqueness, we were able to go places where other rigs could not. We are very proud of our team for the long hours that they have spent working hard in the field. Although we have had a number of difficulties, I am very happy that we have been able to successfully complete this project.”

The project, which is entitled the Water Capacity Improvement in Kulbus and Seleia Localities, West Darfur, was funded through the ADRA office in Japan by the Japan Platform, a non-profit organization designed to provide emergency relief in disaster situations quickly and effectively, based out of Tokyo, Japan. The project is valued at an estimated US$804,789.

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