SFX helps to provide clean water in Africa

St Francis Xavier’s College (SFX) in Woolton has been able to provide an African village with clean water after donating money towards the construction of a much needed well.

By installing AquAid water coolers within the school, a proportion of the annual hire fee has gone towards supplying fresh water to a community in Africa.

This water well, known as an Elephant Pump, it is a modified version of a water pump based on an age-old Chinese rope pulley system. The pump is built by an experienced member of the Africa Trust in collaboration with local people from the community who are then taught how it works and how to repair it using local materials and parts.

One pump supplies potable water for upwards of 300 people and due to the pumps design and construction will continue to supply the community it serves for decades.

Through this initiative AquAid has donated more than £6,000,000 to the Africa Trust resulting in the supply of safe drinking water to more than 2,000,000 people.

Patrick Ferguson, executive head at SFX, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to contribute towards the supply of clean, fresh water for communities that don’t have access to this essential resource.

“Many of us take for granted the running water that comes from our taps and so this is a great initiative for the school to be part of as it gets people thinking about others who are less fortunate.

Fern Shaw from AquAid Africa said: “It’s amazing to think that through simply drinking water dispensed from our water coolers, St Francis Xavier’s College have provided sufficient support for the implementation of safe drinking water projects for others in need. We’re very proud of our association with the college and are very appreciative of their ongoing support”.