Every day, women and children from the small Ghanaian village of Addokrom walk to nearby creeks to haul containers of water back to their home. Navigating distance, heat and drought has often made their reliance on streams almost impossible.
When the streams disappear during the dry season, the community is left in hardship and uncertainty.
But on July 22, joy and hope flowed freely as the people of Addokrom gathered to celebrate a life-changing gift: a mechanized borehole system donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
The new water system includes a solar-powered pump and a 5,000-liter polytank that will provide consistent, accessible and clean drinking water to the entire community. It’s a small structure — but it carries enormous significance for the residents of Addokrom.
‘Without water, there is no life’
At a celebratory gathering held in the village, Chief Nana Agyapong Boateng spoke on behalf of the people. With emotion in his voice, he offered sincere thanks to the Church and its members around the world.
“People of my community,” he said, “you should all join me to extend our heartfelt gratitude to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for giving us such a much-needed project in our town, because without water there is no life. The Church has therefore given us extension of life by this important project.”
He called on the community to protect and care for the new facility, pledging to see to its maintenance so that future generations can continue to benefit from the blessing it brings.
Clean water, made possible by sacrifice
The project was the result of months of coordination, love and generosity. President Prosper Mensah, president of the Ejisu Ghana Stake, officially handed over the keys to the water system during the event. He reminded the residents that the funds for the borehole came from members of the Church across the globe who fast and donate money so others can have their needs met.
“This facility has come from contributions or sacrifices made by individual members of the Church worldwide,” President Mensah said. “The Church does not discriminate; all are children of God. It is our fervent prayer that this project will bring unity and peace among these town folks.”
He also emphasized the spiritual purpose behind the gift: that it may not only bring physical sustenance but also knit the hearts of the community together in unity.
He invited those in attendance to avoid contention in the use of the facility, and to let it be a means of bringing the community closer together.
After speaking, President Mensah took a long drink of cool, clean water — water that now flows freely in Addokrom thanks to the collective faith and giving spirit of Church members across continents.
The Savior’s love in action
Elder Louis Fuell and Sister Brenda Fuell, senior missionaries serving in the Ghana Kumasi Mission, played a key role in coordinating the project. Standing before the villagers, they explained that the borehole was more than a humanitarian gesture — it was a manifestation of the Savior’s love.
They told villagers that the donation was an expression of the Savior’s love for His children as manifested through His Church.
In the gathering that followed, the joy among the residents was palpable. Smiles, laughter and expressions of gratitude filled the air.
“This is indeed the best thing that could happen to us in this community,” one resident said. “We have suffered long for scarcity of clean water. We are very, very grateful.”
A flowing future
Though the borehole stands as a simple structure, its impact is immeasurable. It means less time spent gathering water, fewer health concerns, and more opportunity for work, education and family life.
For children, it means more time to attend school. For mothers, it means more time and energy to focus on other necessities. And for everyone, it means peace of mind.
This donation is one of many humanitarian efforts by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which works globally to provide clean water, medical care, food and emergency relief.
In Ghana and elsewhere, these efforts are building bridges of friendship, strengthening communities and testifying of a loving Savior who knows and watches over His children.
As the villagers of Addokrom now draw clean water from their new borehole, they draw also from a deeper well — a well of hope, faith and connection that reminds them they are not forgotten and that God loves them.
