Rainmaker Completes First Solar-Powered Water Supply System in Thiet, South Sudan

THIET, South Sudan - In celebration of South Sudan’s 9th Independence Day, the Rainmaker Enterprise is pleased to announce the completion of its first solar-powered water supply system in Thiet, South Sudan, which is now providing 3,000 people with clean water for household consumption and water for local crop and livestock production.

In South Sudan, where over half the population lacks access to water, Rainmaker’s approach to critical infrastructure development aims to tackle the roots of humanitarian crisis at the community level – providing an integrated solution to food and water insecurity, poor health outcomes, inter-communal conflicts, and forced migration.

The design of the system emphasizes local knowledge, land regeneration, and economic longevity. Through ongoing consultation and engagement, women and youth have a special voice in the co-design and co-management of Rainmaker’s solar water system and adjacent farm site.

With the new water source set up, the cultivation of sorghum has taken place on a 12-acre plot. Once drip irrigation lines are fully installed in the coming months, Rainmaker’s farm will produce crops like sorghum and peanuts year-round, boosting local production and reducing vulnerability to climate and economic shocks.

Local staff will continue to ensure the long-term economic viability of the farm and water system, employing local farmers and providing training on regenerative agricultural practices that build soil health and vitality.

“Our lives have improved since the borehole and the new addition of solar,” shared Ajong Mawien,a local woman who was selected to form part of the project’s water oversight committee. “We no longer worry about traveling far to fetch water or about water-borne diseases. The water source has created more time for my children, husband and I to farm. The community is celebrating this development.”

The proof of concept project is being supported by Creating Hope in Conflict: A Humanitarian Grand Challenge, the University Health Network, and generous private donors. The staff and technicians from Omaski Sai Co Infra Ltd. in Juba, South Sudan also played an indispensable role in the planning and installation of the solar-powered groundwater pump, raised water storage tank, and two water collection stations that comprise Rainmaker’s full system.

Rainmaker’s solar-powered water supply system aims to endow hard-to-reach communities with an asset that can help them navigate Africa’s triple vulnerability (water, food, energy) to climate change and public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the world’s youngest country, South Sudan has great potential to become an early leader in a global paradigm shift that recognizes the untapped possibilities of clean water, regenerative agriculture, and decentralized clean energy systems. Community-based and community-owned infrastructure has a central role to play in this transformation.

Join the movement to build dignity drop by drop at: www.rainmakerenterprise.org