Mechanizing a Borehole in Ghana
Women and children line up for water from the few bore holes that serve the whole community in this region of Ghana. This project seeks to mechanize a borehole so that the community may have easy access to clean water and reduce the time spent waiting in line to pump water.

Beyond our education, literacy, and health programs, GHEI tries to fill in need gaps in the community that are unable to be fulfilled otherwise. Therefore, GHEI would like to mechanize an existing borehole that currently requires hand pumping in order to increase the community’s access to safe and clean drinking water.

Obtaining water for drinking, cooking and bathing is a constant and daily need. Children and women are the primary individuals who pump water, spending hours a day around the few bore holes in the village, waiting for and pumping their water. Because of this constant need, children are often late to school, decreasing the time they are able to spend learning. Also farmers who spend hours waiting for water take away valuable time from time they can be spent on their farm.
Mechanizing a borehole means that multiple people could obtain water at the same time from one of several taps. Long lines would thus be relieved and time would no longer be wasted on pumping. Farmers would be able to spend more time working on their farms (as much as 50% more time), which would enable them to produce more crops; the local economy will be much improved. Children will no longer miss up to several hours of school each day, so this will dramatically raise the education level of the village. An additional benefit is that more people in the village will have access to a cleaner water source, thus improving overall health.