More than 1,500 people in Cameroon will benefit from boreholes funded by the patriarchal exarchate

The patriarchal exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa has launched a project to provide clean drinking water to villages in Cameroon's northern region, benefiting over 1,500 people, a church representative told RT on Saturday.

This region, like many others in Africa, is facing severe challenges in securing access to safe drinking water. In villages lacking wells or boreholes, people are often forced to walk several kilometers to fetch water or rely on contaminated sources, leading to widespread illnesses such as dysentery.

In response, local parishioners and community leaders sought assistance from the Russian Orthodox Church. Similar initiatives supported by the Russian Orthodox Church have led to the drilling of wells in Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia.

In Cameroon, this is the first project dedicated to constructing boreholes. Funding for the initiative was raised through donations collected via the exarchate's official website. To date, financial resources for four boreholes have been transferred to Cameroon, with drilling already underway at three parish sites.

Earlier in January, around 1,650 families in Malawi received humanitarian aid from the Russian Orthodox Church, according to Russia's agency for international cooperation, Rossotrudnichestvo.

Access to safe drinking water is a major problem in Africa. According to estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), only 19% of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 12.6% in Ethiopia, 6.2% in the Central African Republic (CAR), and 5.6% in Chad have access to safe drinking water. In the Republic of the Congo, the figure is 46% - among the highest in the region. Roncalli International Foundation reported last year that nearly half of the population (47%) still lacks access to clean water in Cameroon.

The Russian Orthodox Church has significantly expanded its presence in Africa since establishing its exarchate three years ago. Over 250 priests are serving in northern and southern African dioceses, including around 350 parishes in 32 countries, Metropolitan Antony Volokolamsky, the chairman of the department of external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate metropolitan, said in an interview with TASS.

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(RT.com)