Our Work In Africa

Higher Ground International also provides clean water to the residents of the 1940 community in Arthington.

The 1940 community is one of the larger communities in central Arthington and is also the transit hub. Due to this area being very busy, one hand-pump is not enough to provide clean water to everyone. HGI intends to advocate for and raise additional funds to install two more hand-pumps in this area.

In June 2014, Higher Ground International completed a modern, six-unit, community bathroom and latrine for the Moses Turkett and surrounding communities.

This facility provided over 200 residents access to safe and private facilities to use.

Second to the completion of HGI’s community bathrooms and latrines project, providing a hand pump for the children and residents of Gomkpon Junction has been the most rewarding for the members of HGI thus far.

When the residents first came to advocate for the need for a hand pump, HGI was not aware that the residents had built a one-room church and school in the community because they needed those buildings.

To our surprise, we arrived at the Gomkpon Junction community and found them. We were able to impact the lives of about 300 people in the community, especially the children, who had to leave school to walk a mile to the creek for water.

What We Learned?

• At a cost of $4,000, a hand pump was the most economical way to fulfill the need for clean water.
• At 40 feet, the well was not dug well enough to provide a continuous flow of water for everyone during the dry season.
• It is a very dangerous task for the young men who dig the well because they lack the safety standards and in some cases, the well caved in on the workers.
• The demand and constant use of the pump causes it to break down often.

Our Solution

• Build a well, that costs $6,500 but provides many advantages that make the cost worthwhile.
• The well was dug with a borehole drill to a depth of 95 to 110 ft. This allows for a continuous flow of water during the rainy and dry seasons.
• It meets the needs of the community with two hand-pumps for the village of 300 to 500 people. By having two hand-pumps, the wear and tear of the equipment is reduced from constant use.

As Liberia enters into the post Ebola stage, HGI is being proactive in working to mitigate the needs of those whose lives have been impacted by the disease.

HGI has begun the process of rehabilitating the above one-acre property so it can be used as a residential facility for orphans and also a section for HGI office space.

These children are traumatized by the outbreak and are in need of comprehensive care to help facilitate the devastating loss they have experienced.

HGI has acquired and is rebuilding a facility and four similar ones as the central hub for the organization’s commercial agriculture, workforce, and literacy program.

“Founded on the principles of private initiative, entrepreneurship and self-employment, underpinned by the values of democracy, equality, and solidarity, the co-operative movement can help pave the way to a more just and inclusive economic order”

Upon completion, these facilities will be a life-changing opportunity for the people in the region to gain the skills that will propel them to a place of economic empowerment and sustainability.