Residents of Yorkutime in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region now have access to clean and reliable drinking water after years of relying on a dugout originally constructed for cattle.

For years, the community had no dependable source of potable water, forcing residents to share the greenish water in the dugout with livestock.

The situation became even more difficult during the dry season, when some residents had to travel about 10 kilometres by motorcycle to neighbouring communities in search of water.

The hardship came to the attention of 2026 JoyNews Impact Maker Award winner in the Education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) category, Senyo Success Gbormittah, and his team at Hope for Ghana when they visited the community in February 2026.

Mr Gbormittah said the condition of the community’s water source was unacceptable.

“Human beings deserve better. They deserve good drinking water, but all they are getting at Yorkutime is water that has green colour and is being shared with cattle,” he said.

He explained that the dugout had originally been constructed for animals, but residents had been left with little choice but to depend on it.

“Even the dugout was purposely dug for cattle to feed on, but human beings have no other source of drinking water but to depend and share this water with cattle,” he said.

A new source of hope

That situation has now changed following the construction and commissioning of a mechanised borehole by Hope for Ghana in partnership with Ingoma Living Waters.

The facility is expected to provide residents with a more reliable source of clean and potable water and reduce their dependence on the former dugout.

Mr Gbormittah described the intervention as a major transformation for the community.

“Clean water is what we celebrate today and the greenish, dirty and polluted water that they used to drink in the past is now a thing of the past,” he said.

A representative of the Yorkutime community expressed gratitude to Hope for Ghana and its partners for providing the facility.

The representative said the new water source would particularly help protect children from the health risks associated with consuming contaminated water.

“We are thanking Hope for Ghana for giving us this pure clean water which will enable us to go away from diseases and our kids will no more drink any contaminated water,” the representative said.

For residents who previously had to choose between using an unsafe water source and travelling long distances for water, the mechanised borehole provides much-needed relief.

Beyond easing the daily burden of finding water, the intervention gives the community a safer source for drinking and other household needs.

For Yorkutime, access to clean water marks the end of years of depending on a water source meant for cattle and offers residents renewed hope for healthier lives.