Six hours away from the capital of Accra, east of Lake Volta, and hours after the pavement ends, there is a village called Kpando Kope. For many generations, the nearest water source used to be little more than a puddle.

"We were barely getting enough water to live," recalls Rebecca Asamani. "You wouldn't even have enough water to bathe your children or wash their clothes. If you could only see the water . . . it was green! Only God was taking care of us."

Non-profits worked with local authorities to determine where to drill new wells. A public meeting was called and all of the villages in the region were invited to send a representative to the district's office to participate in the selection process. The criterion for village selection was made clear to all. It included the willingness and ability of communities to: (1) make a contribution of financial capital, (2) contribute physical labor, (3) form water committees, (4) and learn how to operate and maintain the technology and conduct hygiene training.

Kpando Kope elected Ms. Asamani to represent them, so she made the five-hour trek on foot to the District Office under the blazing Ghana sun, with no water to drink. As with the other villages, the panel reviewed Kpando Kope's eligibility. Kpando Kope was rejected.

"No!" said Ms. Asamani. "You can't take away Kpando Kope! If you could only see the water that we have now! It's green!" She continued to argue her case, until she convinced the panelists to keep Kpando Kope on the list.

Thanks to her persistence, Ms. Asamani and 287 others can fetch clean water from the borehole near their homes. "Now we have fewer diseases," said Ms. Asamani. "[And, because the water is so close] we have more time to work on our farms and make them even bigger so we will have more money this year to send the children to school."

Having a safe source of drinking water nearby dramatically reduces work for the children. "The children used to go out for water and return late; [only then] could I start cooking," recalls Ms. Isaa. "It was so late by the time the children went to bed."

The crops also benefit from the new water source. "We carry the water from the borehole to our farms," says Nubenane Adem. "And we're also working on building toilets. Before [we started using latrines], all the rain pushed the poop into the stream, and we had to drink it."

Just recently, residents of Kpando Kope made a radical decision: to require everyone to build a latrine for their house. Already, the community has constructed latrines for people who can't afford to build a household latrine. These community latrines will also serve as an interim facility for those building their own latrine until the construction is complete.

Thanks to the community's initiative and hard work, and people caring, the sanitation situating in Kpando Kope is improving, and the water situation has dramatically changed the daily realities of life in this rural community.