Balogun Village, Oke Oba Ward 2, Oyo Road, Iwo, Osun State, is a rural community with a population of just over 500 people. While the village is growing, residents have long struggled with the lack of basic infrastructure, especially access to clean water.

Before the borehole installation, families relied on unsafe water sources, often walking long distances to fetch water from streams also used by livestock. This exposed them to waterborne diseases and consumed valuable time that could have been spent on education, farming, trading, and other daily activities.

Palm oil processing, though not the main business in Balogun, is an important supplementary source of income for many households. However, the lack of a steady, clean water supply slowed production, reduced profits, and created further hardship.

Women and children were the most affected; long queues at water points delayed household chores, petty traders lost customers after spending hours fetching water often with no guarantee it would still be available and students frequently arrived late to school. During the dry season, the struggle became even harsher, as residents walked much farther to find water that was often muddy and unsafe for drinking, cooking, or bathing. For many families, each day began and ended with the exhausting uncertainty of whether they would have enough safe water to survive, making the arrival of the borehole nothing short of life-changing.

A resident explained:

“Life was extremely hard before this borehole. The stream water is always dry, especially in the dry season. Sometimes I would spend hours just to fetch a few buckets, and that delayed my work and my children’s schooling.”

An elder in the community added:

“I am over 80, and ever since I was born in this community, I have never had access to good water. This borehole is the first time in my life that I can drink clean water without fear.”

• Direct beneficiaries: Over 500 people in Balogun Village
• Health improvement: Significant reduction in waterborne diseases
• Economic support: Improved productivity in daily work and small-scale palm oil processing
• Education boost: Better school attendance and punctuality for children
• Safety: Women and girls no longer travel long distances alone for water

Historical change: First-ever access to clean water in living memory for many residents.

This project was made possible by Hope Spring Water, with the generous support of Richenda and John, alongside contributions from Hope Spring Charity eCards supporters.

Hope Spring eCards is one of the UK’s leading charity eCard platforms. Based in Hereford, the registered charity offers a variety of eCards  including birthday, animated, video, and seasonal designs. When someone sends a Hope Spring charity eCard, they make a donation to fund vital clean water projects like the Balogun Water Project. Recipients are informed that their greeting also helped change lives. You can fund a whole project, part of a project or by making a one off donation via our donations page.