New Water Initiative

An Investment with a Guaranteed Return

Nearly 15 years ago, Penyem village was the beneficiary of a grant from a U.S. donor who paid to install the original solar panels, water tank and pumps that provided water to the village for over 12 years. When one part of the system deteriorated, the village was unable to fund the repair to make the whole system useable again. FOP made a relatively small investment (about 30% of the cost of the entire system) to make the system fully functional again, yielding a huge return in the quality of life for the whole village.

The Challenge
GAM-Solar, a Gambian-based company, served as a reliable partner in our mission to repair the Penyem water system. Recently, FOP was approached by GAM-Solar with an appeal to help several other villages in similar situations across The Gambia. Like Penyem, roughly 10-15 years ago many village water systems in The Gambia were funded by foreign organizations but have since fallen into disrepair and, with a small investment, can be made fully functional again, bringing new life to villages burdened with disease and significant hurdles to economic stability.

The Opportunity
We are pleased to announce a new initiative for 2009-2011 that will spread the impact of FOP dollars outside of Penyem and allow FOP donors to improve the lives of poor men, women and children across The Gambia. We have undertaken a $30,000 fundraising campaign for repair of at least two solar-powered water systems that, like Penyem, require only a small investment to become clean water sources for entire communities. The basic infrastructure exists--all that is needed is a small investment to yield enormous returns in health and economic stability. Please help us move forward with this exciting opportunity by donating to the project, or email us to learn other ways you can help.

Learn More
According to the WHO, over 13% of deaths in The Gambia are attributable to disease caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene resources. Immediate access to plentiful water from a clean source, such as the water delivery system installed in Penyem, is a proven intervention to reduce the incidence of diarrhea and other potentially life-threatening illnesses. To read more from the WHO's report, Safer Water, Better Health, click here.