During a presentation of the results of Theresa Theuretzbacher´s water research in September 2012, Chief Salifu and his council of elders realized how dramatic the drinking water supply situation in the village was. The need for more awareness and education on the topic within the community was discussed. Keeping the physical infrastructure under consideration, small-scale and low-cost strategies were evaluated. The most effective solution arrived at was the re-activation of the centralized water tank system on a village scale. In 2004, the government provided Guabuliga with a mechanized system for pumping drinking water, together with a distribution network that reaches all sections of the village. Four years later, the system stopped functioning due to a major problem with the electrical transformer. No spare parts were available in Ghana for this type of equipment and the community did not manage to collect the necessary amount of money to acquire another transformer.
A sustainable solution was found by re-activating the water-tank system with a solar-powered pump system. The local NGO Braveaurora realized the urgency of the water issue and included it on their agenda and project list. In cooperation with the authorities of the village, Braveaurora commissioned Baerbel Mueller, Theresa Theuretzbacher, and Frank Kumah to conceptualize and calculate a well-dimensioned project. The NGO went through an intense funding campaign in 2013. In February 2014, the system was installed.
To ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the project, a long initiation phase was scheduled before the implementation of the solar-power system. The importance of a functioning water board was targeted. A group of elected people formed a water board and were trained to be in charge of the water system, both autonomously and on a long-term basis. The board´s most urgent task was to decide on a functioning water tariff collection system for Guabuliga. It became clear that women had to be intensely involved and represented in these decision processes, as they are in charge of supplying drinking water to their families. Hence, it was decided that two-thirds of the water board members should be women. Moving women into leadership positions of this kind creates the pretext for an improved and gender-sensitive education for girls and women in Guabuliga.
