How to Help

A drop in the bucket is what we're looking for

Aqua-Africa’s mission depends on the financial support we receive from our donors. Tackling the water shortage in South Sudan requires a ground swell of support and contributions of all sizes are welcomed and appreciated. Whether a donation amounts to a drop, a bucket, or a reservoir, it represents another step in achieving our goals.


Water is foundational to the holistic set of water, sanitation, hygiene and energy (WASH+E) services Aqua-Africa provides. Life without clean water means being forced to drink dangerous bacteria, and striving for this basic need can overshadow education and economic development. Working with local govenment officials, Aqua-Africa aims to identify communities in need and build modern, durable, water systems -- but administering this aid is only the beginning. Long-term development is our ultimate goal. Through microdemocracy and resource management training, we mobilize entire communities, leaving a lasting impression that stretches beyond the edge of the well.

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Clean Water Resource Management Microdemocracy

Too many communities depend on antiquated, hand-dug surface wells for their drinking water.

Aqua-Africa carries out advanced well drilling and water system construction processes to build solar-powered "Village Supplier" water towers, bringing clear running water to many village residents for the first time in their lives.

Health Impact

Each water well provides 5,000 to 8,000 liters of clean, running drinking water per hour; enough to meet the daily needs for 2.500 people. The effect on a community’s health and well-being is clear. Within weeks, stomach problems and headaches diminish.

Environmental Impact

A community of 500 saves 357 hours from collecting and transporting water each day, allowing them to rebuild important aspects of their economy. Each well also saves 214 trees that are otherwise burned to purify surface water.

Once Aqua-Africa drills a well and installs a water system, it is imperative we train residents to properly care for these assets, guaranteeing a sustainable investment that will help generations to come.

Poor water management squanders a precious resource, and we want to put an end to that. First, we conduct a “baseline needs” study in each community we serve. We then train multiple individuals to become experts within their communities on how to best service the system and water distribution points, and to teach others proper use. This ensures our work will have a long-lasting affect in every village where we operate.

Economic Impact

Aqua-Africa is committed to the spread of democracy.

But a successful system requires reform at the grassroots level, not the kind of “top-down” democracy prevalent in much of East Africa. This new grassroots model will allow us to be more successful bringing clean water to residents by empowering them to self-govern. We help prepare communities to hold their own organized local elections, laying the groundwork for change in the way they view democracy. Just as water is necessary for life, so too is a politically sound, nonviolent society.

Political Impact

Aqua-Africa administers democracy at a grassroots level, relying not on huge amounts of money, but their ability to mobilize communities, using access to clean water as the foundation. The result is successful local elections, with many more to come.