Claretian Farm Project
The
Utonkon village in the Nigerian Benue State is located in the most remote
part of this state. It lacks almost all the basic amenities of life.
There is no pipeborne water, no electricity, no hospital, no good access
roads, etc. The 15,000 people live with abject poverty.
The most urgent need to be addressed is the water-borne diseases: guinea
worm, cholera and typhoid. The Claretian Farm Project was established
to alleviate this unnecessary suffering of the natives. Fr. Madu Madu,
the Claretian Superior General for West Africa asked us to help with
fund raising for these projects.
The Claretian Rural development Farm Project is located in the forest,
about 4 km off the road leading from Otukpo to Igumale and about 9 km
from Utonkon town centre. The Farm occupies a space of 2 square kilometers
donated by the natives, the Watuolo people. It is community-based project
meant to bring about human promotion and development. The surrounding
villages to the farm belong to these Watuolo people and the Izzi &
Ezza communities who are agrarian sojourners to the Ufia (Utonkon) land.
The population of all these people is estimated at about 15,000
people who are wallowing in abject poverty and misery.
The Claretian Farm Project was established to alleviate the unnecessary
suffering of the natives. However, they find it difficult to benefit
fully from the farm due to the fact that they are assailed by constant
cases of water-borne diseases due to lack of potable water and the general
unsavory sanitary situation. Nobody is safe from the constant cases
of guinea worm, cholera, typhoid, and even meningitis and of course
malaria. Sometimes projects are paralyzed for weeks in the farm because
both employees and staff have become bedridden due to one sickness or
the other. The natives are the worse since many of them cannot afford
the minimal amount of othordox medical treatment. Of late a former Head
of State, Rtd. General Yakubu Gowon visited Rijo, a small town in Utonkon
to solicit on behalf of the State Ministry of Health, for the natives
to permit the health workers to disinfect the Ibede River infested by
guinea worms. The locals were afraid that invasion of the river may
annoy their deities who have the river as their dwelling place. A study
of the situation has made the me solicit for a provision of potable
water for these people's survival at least.
The benefits of this project would be provision of water which will
offer potable water to the agrarian communities of Watuolo, and the
Izzi & Ezza community numbering up to 15,000 persons who are living
below the poverty line. This will of course help in the irrigation of
their farms as well for dry season cultivation and expansion of the
good work of the Catholic Church.
Here is a Description of work to be done:
There is a perennial stream in the locality about 6 kilometers from
the villagers. We need to draw water from this stream to a purification
chamber where it can be filtered. The water will then be pumped into
an overhead reservoir. Underground pipes will be laid about 6 kilometers
with 5 public water stamp posts so that the villagers can draw potable
water instead of the bad Ugene water. This project will require a solar
source of electricity or small generator, water pump, materials for
over head tank and pipes. The equipment for this project is being designed
by The Sustainable Village, Boulder, CO.
Engr. Emeka Maduakor (S.S.C.E,B.eng.)
C.E.O&M.D
Profhil Engineering Nig Ltd
