| Water is Basic | |
| Type: | Non-governmental organization |
| Founded Date: | 2006 |
| Founder: | Bishop Elias Taban |
| Location: | South Sudan, Irving, Texas |
| Area Served: | South Sudan |
| Homepage: | waterisbasic.org |
Water is Basic is a non-profit NGO that drills clean water wells in South Sudan. The organization was founded in 2006 during a meeting of Sudanese church leaders, who decided that the local church's first steps after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ought to be fulfilling physical needs. It is believed that between 50% and 60% of South Sudan's population has access to a better water source, such as a hand pump, a protected well, or - for a tiny minority - a piped water system
Water is Basic is the largest clean water non-profit organization in South Sudan.[1]
Water is Basic completed its first well on June 28, 2008 and has since completed over 500 boreholes and repaired 75 others to working condition throughout states of Central and Western Equatoria and Jonglei.[2] Water is Basic was led by Bishop Elias Taban, founder of the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church and recipient of the 2013 Clinton Global Citizen Award by the Clinton Foundation.[3] The US branch of the charity is led by Steve Roese.[4] [5]
On March 10, 2014, Water is Basic and the Permanent Mission of South Sudan to the United Nations hosted an event, titled "Women and Water in South Sudan," as a contribution to the 58th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.[6] In August 2014, Water is Basic leaders joined 91 other individuals and organizations - including former US government officials, members of the UK Parliament, and leaders of advocacy and humanitarian organizations - to sign a letter sent to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Dr. Riek Machar urging an end to the brutality between the government and opposition leaders.[7]
On June 4, 2017, the armed conflict in Yei River State officially ended; the charity was then able to continue their work at Abegi. The charity went on to help the community in the teaching of police officers.[8]
Water is Fundamental owns and runs two drilling rigs in South Sudan, each managed by a separate crews. The decisions for where the wells are drilled are made by a union of local Water is Basic staff and local leadership.[9] Irving Bible Church, a secular church in Irving, Texas, raised $1.7 million for the initial costs of purchasing the rigs, then signed over the equipment to the leadership in South Sudan.[10] By 2014, Water is Basic uplift to money and awareness around the United States by showing their self-produced documentary short film, "RU: Water is Life."[11]