For years, residents of Nsuta-Kyebi in the Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region have faced a daily ordeal of queuing for hours at distant streams to fetch water.

The perennial water crisis left women and children to bear the brunt of waking at dawn to trek long distances to get water for daily use.

But the Nsuta-Kyebi community is celebrating a transformative change in a water project that has come to alleviate their water challenges.

According to UNICEF, one in ten people in Ghana spends over half an hour accessing an improved water source, a situation well known to Nsuta-Kyebi residents.

Former assemblyman Asare Kweku Brefo explains the severity of the issue during the dry seasons.

“Getting access to portable water is a problem. Even during the dry season, it gets worse. Unless we travel to the nearby community before we get water. This is going to serve a lot of people. The source of water for this community is very far,” he said.

The breakthrough came through the efforts of the Garden of Grace Foundation Inc., which provided a mechanized borehole to supply potable drinking water to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana’s Mission House and the Nsuta-Kyebi community.

The Garden of Grace Foundation’s intervention was driven by the personal experiences of its founder, Dr. Isaac Agyemang Duah.

Country Representative, Rev. Chris Osei-Wusu, says the intervention was in response to the severity of the situation the foundation assessed.

“We are very much grateful to God and the privilege he has given us. It’s our hope to be able to reach out to communities in need. It’s a motivation stemming from the founder's personal experiences. And he has decided to be a blessing to others. We recognized their situation as dire, and committed to assisting,” he said.

Minister-in-Charge of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Nsuta-Kyebi Congregation, Rev. Elliott A. Amponsah, commended the foundation for their steadfastness despite challenges to access underground water.

“We made our plight public, and God being so good, it touched the hearts of this benevolent NGO and they have come to our aid. The process was very vigorous, especially in order to access the water underground. But the Garden of Grace committed to getting the job done for us,” he said.

Chairperson of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana – Sekyere Presbytery, Rev. Sam Foster Kwakye, expressed gratitude to the Garden of Grace Foundation for the change they have brought to the Nsuta-Kyebi community.

“The myriads of challenges did not deter or discourage you from suspending or abrogating your quest to provide us with portable drinking water. You committed funds towards the realization of the project, irrespective of how much it cost you.

“The church and the community have received a sigh of relief owing to the provision of mechanised borehole by your good self. Indeed, you have brought smiles on our faces since we no longer have to commute long distances in search of portable drinking water for domestic use,” he said.