Clean Water in Nigeria: A New Partnership with Minneapolis Area Synod

As part of a partnership between Global Health Ministries, the Minneapolis Area Synod (MAS) and the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), I traveled to Nigeria to learn about the people and their culture. It was not a sightseeing trip.   I was hoping that what I learned would help the partnership figure out how to complete water projects that not only benefit people in the short run, but are sustainable over the long run. I am one of a number of water resource professionals comprising the GHM/MAS Water Team, and our charge is to advise on clean water projects in Nigeria.

On this trip to Nigeria, we found that Africa is littered with well-intentioned water projects that are not functioning. We also learned that while people need access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene will actually save more lives. We have struggled to determine how to make system repair, sanitation and hygiene a part of each project. Many believe that if they just had more bore-holes, things would be fine, but what they really need is reliable access to safe water, and the capacity to maintain improvements themselves. Reliability is a function of maintenance, prompt repair and financing. Fortunately, the LCCN Project Manager, Yakubu Bulama, understands this, and we have been working together to develop a comprehensive approach.

MAS Water Committee member Paul Nelson with LCCN Water Engineer, Bernard Adamu

The international community has a name for these types of programs -- WASH--which stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.   Successfully implementing such a program has more to do with politics, culture and community involvement than technical issues. In our discussions, we came to the conclusion that there are three keys to making efforts sustainable and comprehensive. The team has been working on standards, policies and a division of roles for projects that address these key objectives:

1. Insure that the local community takes responsibility for the improvements. If the communities contribute to the cost of the effort, they are invested in its success, and are more inclined to make future investments to keep the well operating.

2. Enable the local community to do the repairs by training a village resident to maintain and repair pumps.

3. Make sanitation and hygiene education and projects like latrines a condition of receiving support.

One of the villages that I visited in Nigeria was Dumne, a rural community of about 10,000 people. While there, I saw four bore-holes (wells with hand pumps) and one hand-dug well. Of these, only one bore-hole worked year-around. Two had pumps that were broken, and the other bore-hole needs 1 to 2 hours after drawing water to recharge before it can be used again. Both go completely dry toward the end of the dry season. With only one distribution point they can count on year-around, many people obtain their drinking water from streams that are contaminated because of the lack of sanitary facilities. As a result, the community had an outbreak of cholera this past September.

Hand dug Well in Need of Restoration

When I asked why the community doesn’t repair pumps, they explained that the government installed the pumps and never returns to do repairs. They do not have people in the community that know how to repair the pumps, nor do they have the tools. Needless to say, I came back with a sense of urgency to get some additional, reliable water supplies in Dumne.

I was pleasantly surprised when GHM received an application for water projects in Dumne in early December, and further pleased when it addressed some of our key objectives for local capacity-building and hygiene. The Water Team supported the application with a few suggestions and additions. The project is fairly comprehensive and should make a meaningful difference for the community. It also provides a chance to pilot our project criteria. Particulars of the project include:

• The repair of two broken hand pumps, deepening and covering the hand dug well, installation of a pump to reduce the potential for contamination, and drilling a new bore-hole, thus increasing the number of year-round functional water supply points from one to five;

• A commitment by the community to participate in hygiene education and promotion, as well as to contribute financially and with labor and supplies to the project;

• Equipping the community with one set of common replacement pump parts and tools, training local villagers to maintain and repair the systems, and providing one year of technical assistance;

• The installation of a latrine and a hand-washing station at the LCCN dispensary;

• A commitment by the community to keep records and a commitment from the LCCN to document the condition of the facilities over the next year to assess how the criteria worked, and to adapt and improve;

• A commitment by the community to raise monthly fee collections from families to finance future repairs.

LCCN Water Projects Coordinator, Yakabu Bulama with Paul Nelson assessing Dingai Village Well

The lack of clean water is a problem throughout Nigeria, and a new GHM/LCCN initiative in more than 20 villages will be generating many new clean water projects in the coming years. We invite YOUR participation in these water projects to ensure that safe, clean water is available to the poorest of the poor in the rural communities of Nigeria.

If you are interested in learning more about our work and becoming a member of the Water Team, please contact me at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Having been to the villages in Nigeria, I can tell you the need is great, and I think we have a local partner in the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria that also wants to create lasting solutions. With your help, our hopes and dreams can become a reality! Your tax-deductible check can be made payable to Global Health Ministries, Nigeria Water and Wells, Project #57HD-D9001, or Minneapolis Area Synod and sent to: Kris Perry, Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA, 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55404. On the memo portion of your check, write: MAWD-Nigeria Water.

By Paul Nelson