Clean water transforms the life of Judith and her family
"My name is Judith. I am 13 years old and I live in Tempane district in the Upper East Region, Ghana. I am the third-born in a family of six children. My mother sells porridge and this is the only source of income for our family. Access to clean water is very important for my family as my mother needs clean water to make porridge.
"Getting clean water has always been a challenge where we live. This is because the only water source in the community was a borehole, miles away from my home. As a child, I spent most of my time searching for water before and after school. I had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. each morning and go to search for water. When I got to the borehole, I had to queue for long hours before it was my turn to fetch water. I used to make this trip three or four times a week. I frequently went to school late because of this and my teachers would punish me. I often missed the first and second lessons for the day and found it difficult to keep up with my classmates.
"Travelling long distances in search of water made me struggle in school. Waking up early morning and leaving while it was still dark was risky. I recall one time on my way to fetch water, I was frightened after I saw something like a snake and was forced to run back home. This has been the experience for my friends and other children in the community as well.
"In 2019, the situation in my community changed when World Vision Ghana brought a Limited Mechanized System. The construction of a borehole has solved a major problem for me and my friends. I no longer have to wake up early to go in search of water. I attend school every day and I am able to arrive in good time for the first lesson. I never used to pass certain subjects, but this is now changing; my performance is improving and my teachers are very happy.
"My mother’s business is also growing because she is able to sell more porridge compared to the past when we had no access to water. Thank you, World Vision and partners, for making our life amazing."