The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Tuesday 6 December handed over an agro-solar project to the community of the Rajaf East Boma on the outskirts of Juba.

The project is meant to serve the community in Rajaf with safe and clean drinking water and includes an irrigation component to supply water for a nearby vegetable farm producing okra, tomatoes, and eggplants.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Team Leader of the Relief, Reintegration and Protection (RRP) Office of UNMISS, Lauro Okello, said that this project falls under the UNMISS Protection of Civilians mandate component as it is meant to deter conflict in the area.

“You know where there is scarcity of water people always turn to fighting over the few sources that are available,” said Okello and added:

“As we know this is one of the areas that experienced a lot of child abductions and cases of gender based violence because women are exposed to many risks when they have to go very far (to collect water etc.)”.

According to Okello, these were the reasons that convinced the community to strongly recommend UNMISS to establish such a project, after the necessary research and assessments.

The Advisor to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure of Jubek State, Victor Worda Lotombe, also addressed the crowd gathered for the ceremony. He said that the state government and the people of Rajaf County will cooperate with UNMISS and the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) in any developmental projects for the state.

Mr. Lotombe, who expressed his appreciation of the role played by UNMISS and the IRW in establishing the agro-solar project in the county, urged the community to protect and maintain the facility.

However, the farming project is facing challenges, including a lack of technical personnel to run the facility.

 “We do not know how to use this facility in irrigating this farm, management has become so difficult due to lack of human resources, and theft has become an issue”, said Arsenio Wan,i narrating the challenges faced by the community.

He also called on UNMISS and the humanitarian organizations to train personnel for this task.

Community members expressed their gratitude for the project.

“I am so happy with this project and I hope that it will be extended to the residential areas as well,” said Santo Kamilo, a resident of Rajaf East Boma.

 “I as a woman am very happy that the organizations are always looking into and addressing our suffering as women,” said Betty Poni.

The UNMISS-funded Quick Impact Project (QIP), which is being implemented by IRW, started early this year but the handing over of it to the community was delayed by the outbreak of violence in July.

The IRW says that the project produces 2,000 litres of water per day. The organization has also provided water tanks with a capacity of 10,000 litres for storing water before it is distributed to various parts of the community.