Farmer Starts New Career as Safe Water Station Operator
Adomah Setsofia Leonard has been the operator of the Fodzoku Safe Water Station for the past year. While finishing up his schooling, he was also a farmer. After completing his national service, he decided to build a career as an operator for the H2OME! water station in his village.
Fodzoku is located in the Lake Volta Region of Ghana. Lake Volta is the world’s largest man-made lake. Prior to the Fodzoku Safe Water Station opening in 2017, the 2,500 or so villagers of Fodzoku had to walk three kilometers each way to fetch water. It was an arduous journey, especially for the women, children, and elderly.
Lake Volta is incredibly beautiful, but unfortunately it is also contaminated, and the water is extremely unhealthy to drink.
“When safe water opened here,” Adomah says, “it was a joy for us. The water here helps people a lot because it’s safe and affordable.”
During COVID, Adomah found it challenging to communicate with his customers about the safety protocols implemented at the station: social distancing, washing hands, and wearing masks. “People didn’t believe COVID was real,” he says. “But over time, people understood. Also, operations were smooth, and we kept safe water flowing every day.”
Adomah loves that he is providing a critical need for the people of his community. He adds, “Safe water is the very key necessity of life, and I am fulfilled by running the station here.”
Safe Water Network supports many communities just like Fodzoku that rely on Lake Volta for their drinking water, but many more communities are still in need in this region of Ghana. The Safe Water Network team continues to expand its capability to support more towns and villages here so that more families can have affordable access to safe water.