TPRF Grant to Bring New Water Sources in South Sudan - Sacramento Bee

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2012 -- Wells to end long treks for often contaminated supplies

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A grant of US$10,000 from The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) will help build new wells for up to 250 families in the Equatorial and Bahral Ghazal areas of South Sudan, Africa.

The donation goes to Water for South Sudan, Inc. (WFSS) to help construct wells during the approaching dry season in highly populated areas associated with government-sponsored repatriation settlements south and southeast of the city of Wau. These are the areas where Sudanese returning to their homeland after fleeing conflict are temporarily housed.

"For their very survival, many South Sudanese have had to drink unsanitary water that they had to walk hours to acquire," says Linda Pascotto, TPRF president. "The Foundation is very happy to play some part in providing easily accessible clean water for the people in this area."

WFSS Chairman Christopher Moore says the wells must be built in the dry period from November to May to ensure they will tap into the refillable underground aquifer. He says the deep-water wells will do more than just end the health hazards and the long daily hikes by villagers for water. By ending the need for a seasonal migration, he said, the wells will enable village life to become self-sustaining, making possible the development of markets, cottage industries, educational and medical facilities and other important infrastructure.

Where wells are already operating, more family gardens are evident, Moore says, and the water is also being used for brickmaking.

WFSS is staffed by Sudanese, which allows the organization to better conduct business in Sudan and to deal more effectively with sometimes unwieldy government regulations.

Moore says WFSS efforts to date have resulted in the installation of 124 wells serving an estimated 175,000 citizens. Each well serves up to 1,500 people.

About The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) Founded in 2001, The Prem Rawat Foundation strives to address the fundamental human needs of food, water and peace so that people can live with dignity, peace and prosperity. For more information, visit: www.tprf.org.

SOURCE The Prem Rawat Foundation