By Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon.
The Bomaka Community in the Buea Municipality, recently, received a water project donated by the Rotary Club of Limbe thanks to an FCFA 13 million financial support from their sister Rotary Clubs in Canada.
The President of the Limbe Rotary Club, Daniel Ngale, accompanied by other Rotarians from Limbe: PHF Peter Akote, PHF Joseph Mbah Mbole and John Ndakwah, were at the Government Primary School, Bomaka, to officially commission the water extension scheme.
Men, Women & Children of Bomaka rejoice over potable water.
The water project, as exposed by the Project Committee Head, John Ndakwah, consisted of an addition of 30 stand taps to an already existing line of others within the Bomaka neighbourhood and also re-enforcing the water intake of the catchment that supplies water to the neighbourhood and the nearby Mile 17 quarter in Buea.
Of the 30 stand taps, one of the main beneficiary areas is Quarter 7, which is the educational hub of the Bomaka Community; the three schools in one complex – Government Secondary School, Bomaka, Government Practicing Primary School and Government Nursery School are located.
The President of the Rotary Club of Limbe said with the offer of potable water to the schools, the pupils and students will no longer die of thirst during school hours.
According to Ngale the water will benefit some 2,000 inhabitants of Quarter 7 plus some 1,016 pupils and students of the three schools and inhabitants of the neighbouring villages of Wonya Mavio and Bolifamba.
Cross section of Rotarians at the official commissioning of the water extention scheme
The President urged the Traditional Council and their Water management Committee to ensure a proper management of the water to ensure that the water is not wasted. “You have to be aware that, one litter of water wasted is depriving another Cameroonian somewhere of one litter of water,” Ngale said.
The Head Teacher of Government Practicing Primary School, Elisabeth Mofema, said her office was packed with buckets. She said before the coming of the Rotary water, they used to ask their pupils to bring water from their houses. “But when this water gets finish during the day, they soon become thirsty again,” she said. She thanked Rotary for what they have done to their community and the school.
Limbe Rotary Club President, Ngale encourages a student of GS Bomaka during cultural display
The Secretary of the Bomaka Traditional Council, Martin Efande, thanked Rotary for their gesture. He recalled how they had, in the past, written an FCFA 150 million water project and submitted to the Government. But the Government opted to make available FCFA 70 million which did not suffice to carry the water round the neighbourhoods. “So the Rotary water is a big relief,” he said.
Efande indicated that despite the Rotary water, Bomaka will still be subjected to the policy of rationing of water because the present volume of the pipes were not big enough to carry water round. He thus pleaded with Rotary to see how they could be assisted to get bigger pipes.
Meantime, Eucaria Nkengafack, a form five student of Government Secondary School, Bomaka expressed the gratitude of the students and pupils.
Bomaka students use traditional dance to appriciate Rotary club
“I feel relieved because when one comes to school, there is no water to drink. If you needed water, you could only carry it from the house to school and when it is finished, you will be thirsty, again. So Rotary has, indeed, done so much for the Bomaka pupils and students.”
Rotary got to the aid of Bomaka thanks to Rotarian Felix Leke. Leke said, he had witnessed the agony with which the people of Bomaka went through during a cholera outbreak that hit parts of Buea, a few years ago. “I felt sorry for some of the students and pupils of Bomaka, who will go to school late because they are crowded around a lone tap, struggling to get water. This prompted me to approach my fellow Rotarians for help. Thank God, Rotary added 30 more stand taps,” he explained.
Akote said the Rotary Club Limbe, working in collaboration with their sister clubs aboard, and thanks to the philanthropic nature of their members have been able to assist a lot of
Students performed spirited Maley Dance to grace the ceremony.
communities in the Southwest, Northwest and other parts of Cameroon with water projects, books, computers, buses to many schools, hospital beds and medical equipment to hospitals and lots of other things to orphanages and other needy persons.
“Rotary Club has its motto, service above self, and we are keen to serve the communities that are in need just like Bomaka” Akote added.
From Bomaka, Rotary will be going to assist the population of Kumba, who have, for over a year, being hit by a serious water quality crisis.
“We want to install water purification equipment in Kumba. We have already on the ground eight of the equipment at the Baptist College and one other college near the Government Technical High School.”
