In November, we completed our 32nd and 33rd water projects in Nigeria, bringing the daily total of people served with safe, sustainable, and accessible water to over 21,900. These projects are not only our final projects of a very productive 2022, along with the projects completed over the summer; they also represent a significant step for our organization as we have exceeded 30 completed projects (all of which remain fully functional).
As we close the year, we close year 5 in existence. Since our inception in 2017, we have not only seen our impact regarding the amount of water provided expand, we have seen the number and commitment level of our partners significantly grow. With growth comes greater responsibility; our teams in the United States, as well as our team in Nigeria, have stepped up to ensure that each new project and each community we serve have what they need to optimize health and sustainability.
Pioneers and Managers
As I reported following my visit to Nigeria in August, our teams on the ground have stepped up their efforts related to borehole inspection, maintenance, and management. As part of the stepped-up efforts, we have recently procured a new motorbike that can make reaching extremely remote communities faster, safer, and more efficient. Effective maintenance and management are critical to ensure the projects we take on deliver lasting change; having the necessary equipment for that is crucial. In light of this, in 2023, we will continue to invest in the equipment needed to sustain these critical sources of life.
We began this journey with a mission to bring clean water to communities that did not have it. That continues to be our primary mission; however, we have added to our mission. It is not enough to build something and move on; we must partner with each community to ensure they have the resources necessary to optimize sustainability. As the saying goes, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime”. In 2023 we will continue to build new water projects while also partnering with the communities where we have already built water projects to manage their boreholes.
In closing, I want to bring attention to something I have been asked about by several of our partners: the security situation in Nigeria. Security in the country has become more insecure as the federal general elections have neared (the elections are in February 2023). In communicating with our leadership in Nigeria, it appears much of this insecurity is politically motivated and could dissipate after the elections. Regardless of the cause or when it ends, we are committed to our mission of positive change in the communities where we work.
We will continue to drive forward as we have since 2017 and will continue to change and impact lives for the better in 2023 and beyond.
JT
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