Women to Lead Borehole Repairs in Lainya County

(LAINYA COUNTY, CENTRAL EQUATORIA STATE) – Plans are under way to restore clean water access in Lainya County, with a focus on training women to repair broken handpumps and rehabilitating damaged boreholes.

The Caretaker Commissioner of Lainya County, Hon. Laku Micah Wani, met with the Women Empowerment Solution Initiative on 6th November 2026. The meeting launched a clean water and technical skills development programme across Lainya, Kenyi and Mukaya Payams.

The joint initiative has two main parts. It will carry out intensive handpump repair training for local community members, with a strong focus on empowering female technicians. It will also carry out major repairs on broken boreholes that have left hundreds of returning households without reliable safe drinking water.

Speaking during the engagement in Lainya, Commissioner Wani said moving infrastructure management down to the Payam level is vital for the county’s recovery and long term solutions.

“Access to clean water is fundamental to stability, health, and bringing our displaced populations home safely,” Commissioner Wani stated.

“By training our women and youth as handpump mechanics, we are not just fixing boreholes today. We are creating local technical capacity so our Payams can maintain their own infrastructure independently.”

A representative from the Women Empowerment Solution Initiative spoke on the role of women in community water, sanitation and hygiene management.

“Women and girls bear the heaviest burden when water points break down. Training women as pump repairers shifts them from passive water gatherers to active leaders and caretakers of community assets,” the representative said.

According to the Lainya County Press Unit, the major repair work on selected critical boreholes across the three Payams is expected to be completed in the coming months. The work is expected to immediately improve water access for thousands of returnees, displaced people and host community residents.