Vivo Energy Ghana has handed over two newly constructed hand-pump boreholes and educational materials to the people and school children in Hiamankyene, a community in the Asante Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region. In addition, the company - in collaboration with its staff and Shell retailers - has donated building materials to the Brengo Presbyterian Basic School for the reconstruction of the dilapidated classroom blocks in the same municipality, where most of the children from Hiamakyene walk a long distance to school. The timely intervention of the company has helped to address the plight of the people who are predominately farmers from the Upper East Region and for decades have not had access to potable water. Over the years, the people of Hiamankyene have had to resort to unclean water sources for drinking and other domestic purposes, leading to several deaths and sickness in the community. This initiative by Vivo Energy Ghana forms part of the company’s broader sustainability programme, dubbed Energy for Water and Education, aimed at supporting government’s efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 6, which centre on Quality Education and Clean Water and Sanitation respectively. Vivo Energy is the exclusive marketer and distributor of Shell-branded products and services. Commissioning the projects, the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr Ben Hassan Ouattara, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting deprived communities to create the needed social impact and ultimately enhancing the quality of life. “It is worth commending Ghana’s efforts in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for water. However, there are still areas that remain unserved and underserved and this means that without this basic need, the lives of millions of children are at risk. Households, schools, farms and others are struggling to survive and thrive in this condition and as a company that is committed to the socio-economic advancement of communities, we cannot look away while innocent lives are exposed to waterborne diseases, through unsafe drinking water,” he said. Mr. Ouattara further commended the efforts of the Mampong Municipal Assembly for providing capacity building training to the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committee to ensure the proper maintenance of these facilities. The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, in a speech read on his behalf, reiterated the government’s effort towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by partnering with corporate institutions to deliver projects that respond to the needs of Ghanaians. “The Government is committed to realising the Sustainable Development Goals and one of the ways of achieving this is by collaborating with organisations like Vivo Energy Ghana, to undertake projects that positively impact our communities. I am exceptionally happy about this initiative and I must commend the management, staff and retailers of Vivo Energy Ghana for continuously delivering value for our communities,” he said. The Member of Parliament for Mampong Constituency, Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, expressed his appreciation to the company and admitted that the construction of the boreholes for Hiamankeyene have significantly reduced the cost for developmental projects in his constituency. The Chief of Hiamankyene, Ayaabah Agurugu, was particularly grateful to Vivo Energy Ghana for the boreholes, which is their source of livelihood and the donation of educational materials to every child in the community. “The books will greatly improve the academic performance of these disadvantaged children who compete with their colleagues in the cities,” he said.