Salesian Entity Facilitates Access to Clean Water at Catholic Parish in Equatorial Guinea

“Salesians will help alleviate the crisis by increasing sanitation, improving the health of children, and supplying clean drinking water by constructing wells and cisterns,” they say.

Salesian Missions officials add, “The water project in Beayop began in 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a pause in construction. The project resumed at the start of 2022, and residents are grateful for this new water source.”

“Water is essential for life, and it’s critical that Salesian programs around the globe have access to safe, clean water for the health and safety of those we serve,” the Director of Salesian Missions, Fr. Gus Baek, has been quoted as saying in the May 25 report.

Fr. Baek adds, “Improving water and sanitation facilities brings a sense of dignity to communities and promotes proper hygiene and safe drinking water.”

The global initiative involves the building of wells, installing water systems, constructing bathrooms and sanitation facilities, developing water supplies for rural communities and more.

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While access to water and sanitation is an internationally recognized human right, UN Water estimates that in Sub-Saharan Africa, only 24 percent of the population have access to safe drinking water, and 28 percent have basic sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households. 

To mitigate the impact of the poor water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, Salesian Missions has committed itself “to make building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work” through the Clean Water Initiative.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.