Water in Africa part III

As I reposted the first two segments below, I realized that the "Mormon" newsroom had an update on their efforts to improve access to water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The project has finished in Tshiabobo, Mafumba, Kasha, and Ibola, bringing fresh water to those communities where they used to have to trek 5 hours to get water. The report is here. A few choice quotes:

People of these communities have worked and prayed for nearly 20 years to find an organization or government to finance and construct a water system. Action for Development of Infrastructure in Middle Rural (ADIR), the project contractor, brought the idea to the attention of humanitarian missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in early 2007. The project was approved by then Church President Gordon B. Hinckley later that year.

Before the project was completed, women shouldered the burden of carrying water to their homes. One villager said: “You realize that I am liberated from the servitude that I was tied to by water. I am finished going long distances of two kilometers. Truly this is blessing from on high for me and my whole family.”...

According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people lack access to clean water. Those without clean water often suffer from water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and typhoid. The objective of the Church’s clean water initiative is to improve the health of communities by providing access to sustainable clean water sources. Depending on local needs and circumstances, these water sources include wells (or boreholes), water storage and delivery systems, and water purification systems. Since 2002, the Church has helped five million people in over 4,500 communities obtain access to clean water sources.

Clean water projects have enjoyed long-term sustainability because communities are involved in the planning and implementation of each project and community representatives are trained on system maintenance prior to project completion.

What other success stories do you know about?