Water for Korah

Bringing Hope to Abune Basilios School

Bringing Water to Abune Basilios School

We are so grateful that the building of the Abune Basilios School water well is now complete. A huge thank you to everyone who helped to make this possible!

Our most current water update and video of celebrating the completion of the well is at the top. Scroll to the bottom to see the journey of building the Abune Basilios School water well from the beginning.

Current Need for Water

Due to poor sanitation, lack of water resources and intermittent city water service in the community, there is an ongoing need for water in different areas of Korah. 

At this time Hope for Korah continues to truck in water to four different compounds: HFK's Education & Youth Empowerment Compound, Day Care Centre, Elders' Home and Socio-Economic Empowerment Compound. 

In addition, HFK is hoping to raise $26,000 to cover the inflationary costs that occured during the building of the Abune Basilios water well.  This includes a 200% inflation increase from the original estimate on the steel casings purchased for the well and a 100% inflation increase on cost of the water pump. 


Water Well Update #8: Celebration Time!!

March 22, 2023

Today, on "World Water Day" we are delighted to share with you the excitement we all felt last month when we celebrated the completion of the Abune Basilios School Water Well.

Many people came together for this special occasion and acknowledged all the contributions made by a wide variety of stakeholders. This truly was a "Working Together for Hope." School administrators, teachers, parent committee, hydrologists, water engineers, drilling company, government offices, Ministry of Education, Hope for Korah staff, board and donors were all on hand to witness the commemoration of the well and the garden area donated by Hope for Korah to the children of Abune Basilios School. Everyone is thrilled that this 220 meter deep well is now operational and a sustainable water source for 7000 children. And the presence of those children nearby laughing, playing and dancing throughout the festivities added to the joyous atmosphere and the significance of this achievement.

Lastly, we thank God for how He inspired people to give and brought together all the workers who collaborated on the building of this well so that the children have water today and for years to come. 

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen!


Water Well Update #7: Our Reason Why

December 16, 2022

Here is just over one tenth of the reason why we are building a well! Putting it into perspective: this is only 800 of the 7,000 students enrolled at Basilios School. The student population grew significantly this fall when they opened up a new high school on the school grounds. What a privilege to be able to impact the lives of so many children!


Water Well Update #6: Kitchen Staff are Thrilled!

December 7, 2022:

Just one year ago, we shared of the struggle faced by over 60 kitchen staff at Abune Basilios to secure clean drinking water for the school's feeding program. These woman would walk 1 km to the nearest water source and return carrying 25 L of water on their backs. Today, they were elated to walk a few steps to fill up their buckets with an abundance of water. What a difference God can make in one year's time. Please continue to pray as we finalize the last components of the Abune Basilios Water Project


Water Well Update #5: Rainfall - Ground Up!

December 3, 2022

Fresh water is pouring ground up at Abune Basilios School! During the well casing installation process, a tremendous amount of water has been shooting sky high, creating the appearance of a drenching rainfall. This water project is close to the hearts of many and this special moment solidified the dream of Abune Basilios School finally having a reliable water source.


Water Well Update #4: Big Water Strike!

November 23, 2022

We struck it BIG!! Water is springing up everywhere! Drilling was completed when we hit the aquifer at 220 meters with many water strikes along the way. This depth is equivalent to 721 feet or the length of 2 1/2 football fields. "Thank you God! This will be a high yielding well!" There are still important steps ahead, with the most crucial being the steel casing installation. Stay tuned, we will be sure to keep you posted.


Water Well Update #3: The Excitement Begins!

November 16, 2022

What a long anticipated and exciting day!! The heavy machinery and drilling equipment has arrived on site at Abune Basilios School. Now that the crew has been mobilized they will be assembling the drilling rig over the weekend and drilling for water to be started soon. We can't wait and will keep you posted!

NEW!! This fall a high school was built and opened at Abune Basilios, which added 2000 students to the school population.  This means 7000 children will soon receive clean water from this well!!


Water Well Update #2: AMAZING NEWS!!

March 2022

We are so excited and grateful to share the amazing news that the deep, high yield water well planned for Abune Basilios School is fully funded!!  Thank you to each person who has given to help make this possible.  We can't wait to get this project started!


HFK IS BUILDING A WELL!

School of 5,000 has no access to water. Students had not washed their hands in two years.

Situated next to the trash dump, children from Abune Basilios School are from the poorest families in Korah. With over 5,000 students and 267 staff, we were shocked to find out they had not washed their hands in two years!  Why? No water. Neither had their toilets been cleaned for two years!!  Can you imagine? The sanitation was horrible. Teachers would not work there because of the stench.

Every day 20 support staff walked 1 km to the nearest water source and returned carrying 25 L of water on their backs. The school was gifted 9 cows for milk, but they required too much water and were about to be sold.  Without water this school was struggling.

In February 2021, HFK responded to their need by trucking in 20,000 L of water every week, which months later increased to 60,000 L of water. Students began washing hands once a day and toilets were cleaned twice a week. The cows stayed and over 900 kindergartners drank milk! But the need is still much greater...

October 2021 Update - Due to covid restrictions lifting and increased school enrollment HFK is now trucking in 100,000 L per week. Wanting a sustainable solution to this problem, HFK has consulted water professionals and engineers who assessed the current situation, and it has been decided that a deep high-yield well is the best option to bring a long-term solution for this school!

Our goal is to build a well that will provide the school with a sustainable source of water for years to come.  The plan is to build a deep well with a high yield pump and power generator in the spring/summer of 2022. The system will be setup to fill the 100,000 liter reservoir every other day to meet the needs of the students, staff and dairy cows. The school is also planning to allow access to the well water by neighboring residents.  

Water can change this school and empower these children, but we need your help!

This is our biggest need, there is nothing more I could ask for… You have given us hope that we can solve this problem. Thank you!"

~ Principal
Abune Basilios School

VIDEO: Bringing Water to Abune Basilios School

At the time of filming, HFK was trucking in 20,000 L of water to this school. Presently HFK is bringing in 100,000 L per week.   The need for a deep high-yield well is great and will bring a sustainable, long-term solution for this school!

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