California-based VIMA delivers lifesaving borehole to forgotten Ghanaian village

For decades, the people of Matse-Nkuase lived with a painful reality: the only water they could access was from a brown, stagnant source shared with animals. It caused disease. It stole hours from each day. It broke spirits.

But all of that changed in a moment of pure joy, when a tap was turned and for the first time, clean, safe water gushed out in the heart of the village.

This transformation came through the dedication of Volunteers for International Medical Aid (VIMA) and its partners in California, USA, who commissioned a fully mechanised submersible borehole water system for the underserved rural community — a project now hailed as a turning point in the community’s history.

Until recently, the people of Matse-Nkuase had no voice. No visibility. No hope of change. The sick kept getting sicker. Children walked miles to fetch dirty water. Schoolgirls missed classes during their menstrual cycles due to lack of sanitation. But their cries were not in vain.

“What we saw here three years ago broke our hearts,” said Christopher Webu, VIMA’s Country Projects Manager. “No toilets, no clean water, children going barefoot to school. It wasn’t just poverty — it was neglect. And we knew we couldn’t walk away.”

That conviction inspired VIMA’s founder, Mr. Francis Agbemafle, to rally support from across the world — tapping into the kindness of families in California, including CJ Portz, his parents Dr. Steve and Susie Portz, and relatives Andrea and Noelle Portz — who raised the funds needed to drill and install the water system.

“This is not just infrastructure,” Mr. Agbemafle said during the emotional commissioning ceremony. “This water is the beginning of health, dignity, and a future filled with possibility. It is proof that even in forgotten places, people still matter.”

The project includes a mechanized borehole, a submersible pump, a 5-foot concrete tower, a poly tank, and full electrical installation — bringing safe, consistent water to hundreds of residents.

As the first clean droplets hit the villagers’ palms, cheers erupted. Women ululated. Elders wept. For them, this was not just water — it was freedom.

The spirit of giving didn’t stop there. Touched by what they saw, two visiting volunteers from the U.S., Brian Asher and Zarah Rezapour, pledged to fund the construction of an 8-unit modern toilet facility for the community — another vital need long out of reach.

They also funded a $6,000 propane tank project for the VIMA home kitchen, ensuring safer cooking and better nutrition for the children and volunteers served by the organization.

Village Chief Togbey Setorwu Kofi Amponsah expressed deep gratitude on behalf of his people, calling VIMA a “beacon of hope” for the community.

“For years, we felt invisible. But today, we are seen. Today, we matter. Today, our children will drink clean water.”

The headmaster of the local school, Mr. Jude Agboyo, praised VIMA not just for the borehole, but for years of quiet, consistent support donating school supplies, clothes, and shoes to students who once came to class with nothing.

Mr. Agbemafle used the occasion to encourage women, the silent laborers of the home, to keep going. Drawing inspiration from his late mother, he reminded them that every act of sacrifice has the power to change the destiny of their children.

In places like Matse-Nkuase, development is often slow, and dreams are even slower. But this borehole, built not by government but by goodwill, now stands as a symbol of what’s possible when compassion meets action.

One village now has clean water. One village has hope. And one village will never be forgotten again.

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