The implications of the lack of clean water in South Sudan
South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world and most communities do not have clean water or decent toilets. Only 10% of South Sudan’s people have access to improved sanitation. Clean water and sanitation are essential in helping communities to become healthy and thriving.
Life without clean water means having no choice but to drink unsafe water. Children can miss school and adults cannot do paid work if they must walk long distances to collect water. The community’s health and economy suffer.
Water for St Timothy’s School, Nzara, South Sudan
The Trustees and supporters of St Timothy Foundation have long been concerned about the effects on the students and staff of the lack of a water supply to the St Timothy’s School, Nzara. They were aware of the enormous physical and financial challenges of providing one.
Four women carried water to the school each day from the nearest borehole about a kilometre away. They carried 1,600 litres: 1000 litres for drinking and 600 litres for cooking. This was about half of what was needed for the 1,045 pupils and 33 staff over an 8-hour school day. The supply was not enough for flushing the latrines or hand washing.



Aqua Africa’s work in Nzara
In November 2024, Mabior Acouth, the Executive Director of the charity Aqua-Africa, contacted the Trustees of the St Timothy Foundation to discuss their proposal to install a water supply to St Timothy’s school.
Aqua-Africa works to provide reliable access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene, and energy to communities of South Sudan. Since 2011, it has provided reliable, clean water to over 32,000 people across the country. Aqua-Africa has drilled twenty-five wells in South Sudan and constructed seven water towers. Each water well provides enough to meet the daily needs of 2,500 people.
Aqua-Africa has a presence in Nzara: a one-acre fenced compound supervised, secured, and maintained by employees from the local community. This means that Aqua-Africa has well-established relationships with local Chiefs, officials and the churches.
The community of Nzara owns and maintains a solar-powered borehole (a Village Supplier Utility System) which Aqua-Africa built in 2018. The water storage tank has a capacity of 20,000 litres and six water distribution points (tap stands). Neighbouring communities who have inadequate or no water supply must travel to Nzara’s water point for their water.
Assessing the need for water
In 2024, Mabior Acouth, travelled to Nzara to assess the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs of the community and its surrounding villages
through a household survey. They found that women and girls collect 70% of the water for household use and boys under 15 collect 25%. Water collection can take over 2 hours.
The survey also found that households follow limited water treatment practices. Between 80 and 100 per cent of households had suffered stomach or intestinal illness in the past 12 months. Nearly all households rely on shared pit latrines.
Aqua-Africa used the drilling company Lamp Rynearson to help analyse need.
Results of the assessment
Aqua-Africa proposed that a new water system should be implemented in Nzara.
The initial plan was to provide a system consisting of a single elevated tank to supply water pumped from a borehole well to the tanks through a pipe network to distribution points throughout the village including St Timothy’s school.
They anticipated that the well would produce 6,000 litres an hour with solar powered pumps running 8 hours per day and provide 15 litres per head each day.
The water from the borehole is tested in Government laboratories to ensure it is potable. The water supply will continue to be tested.
Aqua-Africa’s method of sustaining the supply and encouraging community ownership
Once Aqua-Africa has drilled a well and installed a water system, their teams help communities to elect a Water Management Committee. They train these representatives to become local experts in water, sanitation and hygiene. They learn how to properly care for the water system and how to clean it and maintain it.
They also help set up a system of paying water-usage fees. Each household contributes towards the water supply according to their means. This money can also be kept in reserve to pay for, or contribute to, repairs to the system.
Aqua Africa supports the communities over a five year ‘adoption’ period. As community health and economic activity improve, the motivation to continue the supply grows with it as does the willingness to contribute financially towards sustaining it.
Aqua-Africa continues to maintain major parts such as the pump, control box, or solar power system until another partner steps in or the community can afford to do so themselves.
Measurable benefits of a water supply
A community of 500 saves 357 hours from collecting and transporting water each day, allowing them to attend school, grow crops and build their economy. It means better health, sanitation and well-being. Each well also saves 214 trees that are otherwise burned to purify surface water.
Modifications to the proposed water system at St Timothy’s school
St Timothy’s School is at a higher elevation than other parts of Nzara so the recommendation was for an additional header water tank and solar powered booster pump in the school grounds with two taps situated near the kitchen. The additional pump will not necessarily have a shorter shelf life as it will only trigger when the pressure drops.
The original estimate for the water supply was for $42,430 and to construct and providing the tank, tower and booster pump, an additional $2,340.
Aqua Africa has not asked for a specific financial contribution from the St Timothy Foundation but has suggested that the Trustees decide how much it can afford to give.
Work began on this project in mid-December 2024 and the Aqua Africa team has sent us regular updates on the progress to date.
For the latest on the progress of the project, please visit the History->2025 page on this site.