The Catholic Diocese of Sokoto’s Bakhita Initiative JDPC, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and with funding support from Latter-day Saints Charities (LDSC), on Wednesday commissioned a borehole project in Yartabau village, Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to the Bakhita Initiative, the project is part of its ongoing efforts to improve access to safe and clean water, strengthen community resilience, and promote better health and well-being among vulnerable households.
Speaking in his opening remarks, CRS WaSH Officer, Emmanuel Abimiku, thanked the community for not only granting them the opportunity to impact lives but also for contributing to the success of the initiative.
Also speaking at the commissioning, the North-West Operations Manager of CRS, Mr. Solomon Dadean, said the project is one of the organisation’s many interventions aimed at supporting the developmental efforts of the Sokoto State Government.
Expressing appreciation on behalf of the community, the Village Head of Yartabau, Bashir Sarkin Tudun Yartabau, said the Bakhita Initiative and CRS had given new meaning to their lives through the provision of clean water.
> “We are deeply grateful to the Bakhita Initiative and CRS for this project being commissioned today. They have impacted our lives in many ways. They taught our wives and mothers how to prepare Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to help reduce cases of malnutrition, among other benefits.”
The village head further revealed that Yartabau had faced challenges accessing safe and reliable water for the past five to seven years following the breakdown of its only functional borehole.
Addressing the villagers, Bashir Arzika, an Assistant Director with the State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), commended CRS and the Bakhita Initiative for their humanitarian intervention. He urged residents to ensure the sustainability of the project by taking full responsibility for its care and protection.
On his part, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, represented by the Vicar General of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Rev. Fr. Nuhu Iliya, urged the benefiting community to understand that the challenge of water scarcity, like hunger, knows no religion or race. He therefore called on them to take ownership of the project to ensure its sustainability.
Speaking at the event, CRS Deputy Country Representative, Lucie Amadou, said the newly commissioned borehole now belongs to the community and not the organisations that facilitated its construction. She therefore urged residents to safeguard it so that future generations can also benefit from it.
In his closing remarks, the Executive Director of JDPC Sokoto and Project Coordinator of Kyautata Rayuwa, Mr. Williams Daloegoet, echoed the views of other speakers and expressed gratitude for the cooperation, understanding, and support received from the benefiting community.
