Community Water Mechanics Training in Lakes State
Fourteen days of intensive drills in Rumek turned twenty volunteers from all seven counties into certified hand-pump technicians. The workshop, driven by Women Empowerment Solution Initiative, mixed classroom sessions with muddy field practice around nearby boreholes.
Hygiene Education Complements Technical Skills
Trainers paired wrench work with lessons on safe water handling, latrine care and disease prevention. Executive Director Simon Buud Gai argued that fixing pipes means little unless communities also understand germs, adding that trauma healing sessions helped participants stay focused on service.
Women Lead the Repair Revolution
Ten women, many traditional caretakers of household water, mastered gasket replacement and cylinder alignment. Angelina John Awodo vowed to return to Cueibet ready to mend broken pumps, while Easter Peter Kulong Gum declared that waiting on men for maintenance is now history.
Business Microcredit Anchors Sustainability
Beyond bolts, WESI walked the class through bookkeeping, pricing and savings culture. The organisation’s microfinance wing will later fund spare-part kiosks beside wells, ensuring income for mechanics and steady availability of washers, rods and pipes across remote Lakes villages.
State Authorities Back the Initiative
Deputy RRC chair Samuel Aberic Makur applauded the gender balance and promised oversight to keep parts flowing. Water and Sanitation Director Dut Majok called the workshop a rehearsal for a wider rollout expected by January 2026, when hundreds of dormant boreholes could reopen.
Clean Water Promise for Public Health
Participant Robert Kal Majok linked safe pumps to lower typhoid and diarrhoea rates, stressing that reliable access frees families from costly clinic visits. Observers argue that such community-rooted programmes reduce aid dependence and weave resilience into Lakes State’s post-conflict recovery fabric.