In the far-reaching corners of South Sudan, one of the last truly preserved pastoralist and animist societies roams the African terrain alongside their revered cattle. In the midst of a severe water shortage crisis, these cattle camps have been reduced to conflict in order to access precious resources like water. With 80% of the internal conflict in South Sudan emanating from these battling cattle camps, there are now threats to dissolve the camps, extinguishing this culture’s ancient way of life.

We have a solution:

With the provision of water, we hope we can help these cattle camps create a sustainable framework for peace, health and growth.

Working with the UN, we have launched a pilot project in one of the UN-identified hot zones, where we will drill wells and livestock watering stations. If this project is successful in breaking the cycle of conflict, the template could be used across all areas of the country—preserving a historical culture rather than destroying it.

100% of proceeds from the purchase of our Preserved In Time collection go toward drilling water wells for these camps.

Feeling inspired? Download our free collection-inspired wallpapers for your mobile, tablet or desktop. Take your pick from our graphic wallpaper or our cattle camp wallpaper.

That’s why Caitlin Stewart is running with a purpose.

Caitlin is running Vancouver’s BMO Marathon on May 5th to help raise $2,000 for our water well drilling efforts in South Sudan.

For every kilometer she runs, a mere $50 is needed to reach her goal.

Every bit helps. Before May 5th, be a part of the change – 100% of your donation goes directly to our water well drilling efforts, driving immediate change to where it’s needed most. How do you live with a purpose? If you want to start your own campaign, email us at info@obakki.com.

In 2012 Obakki drilled a water well upon the dry, arid land of Adol in South Sudan. It was a community in desperate need of water, plagued by illness and malnutrition. At this time, education, agriculture and community growth were simply inaccessible.

Four months later we visited the community for a routine project report and were astonished by the progress achieved in such a short amount of time. The people of Adol had taken the gift of water and turned it into prosperity. The villagers worked amongst lush green gardens yielding nourishment and livelihood. There had been several modest homes erected since our last visit – tidy and lived-in, where families had begun to settle.

Adol had become a home, not just a watering station – a place for people to grow, raise their children, celebrate and achieve. Water was just the start for this community and now we’re using Adol as a model for other villages to show the people of South Sudan what is possible – an example of unified prosperity.

Good love? You know the kind – no pain, no stress, no longing, just pure happiness. It’s the love you get when you give. Obakki makes it easy with the Signature Red Scarf – 100% of the proceeds go toward drilling water wells in South Sudan. So whether you purchase for yourself or someone else, you’re giving and receiving good love.

500 scarves sold will provide clean water to a village in South Sudan.

Give good love and get your own signature scarf at our webstore, snap a picture and connect with us on social media using this hashtag: #Create4Change

Follow the link to see more Good Lovers – people that have given a little to change a lot.

Wear it. Post it. Tag it. #Create4Change

• 500mL (16 oz)
• glass bottle w/silicone sleeve
• polypropylene cap + silicone gasket
• FDA approved, BPA-free, BPA replacement free, phthalate free
• small 1-inch opening so you can drink in almost any position
• lightweight
• won’t leak
• 100% reusable + recyclable

Inspired by the land and people we work with every day, this collection interprets the extraordinary story of South Sudan through colour, texture and pattern. 100% of net profits from these garments fund the drilling of fresh water wells in South Sudanese communities that urgently need them.

Ground water in this part of the world retreats, and the village men were forced to dig deeper and deeper in search of it as the months wore on. Still, more than half a year could pass without a drop. Children were sent to other villages to fetch water for their families. School would simply have to wait. When water came at last, it wasn’t safe to drink. It took a woman 10 heavy bucket pulls to fill her family’s jerry can with water that would likely make them sick. What should have been a life-giving resource had become for Pancui a source of sorrow.

We drilled a borehole in Pancui in March 2012 that provides the village with a steady source of clean water. Already the villagers are healthier. The livestock are safe. The children can go to school again. Where there is clean water to drink, joy flows.

As long as there have been humans on the earth, cultures have lived and died by the health of their water. Water is a lifeline, an anchor, a starting point from where we begin to create.

When we first met with elders of Alel Chok, they spoke of the difficulties of a nomadic life, one they would not have chosen had there been any other way. Without a secure source of water, their people couldn’t settle, build, plant or educate. Their only future was to keep moving.

In December 2010, we drilled the first water well in Alel Chok. One year later, we hardly recognized the place. Around the well a village had sprung to life. There are houses and a small church, green crops thriving in the bright sun. Our friends, too, were transformed. Everyone’s health has greatly improved. The children are in school. The elders can sit in the shade of a favourite tree and know that they are home at last.

The people of Malou live outside the embrace of Sudanese culture. The majority suffer from Leprosy.

Leprosy is a curable disease, but not in this part of the world where medical care is a luxury. Untreated, those with leprosy suffer numbness, debilitating muscles stiffness and eventual blindness. It’s difficult to carry out essential daily tasks like fetching water and tending crops. Yet the stigma Leprosy carries can be far more damaging. In Malou, 50 families have been touched by the disease. All of them were banned from the local water well. The next was 11 kilometres away. When they should have been in school, most children were hauling jerry cans of water for their families. For this village of outcasts, it was the only option. When we first heard of Malou, we imagined the worst—a dismal place without happiness or hope.

In fact, Malou is a joyful community. They sing, dance, tell stories, laugh. They are not ashamed of their illness, but proud to have overcome such staggering challenges. For many, this is the only place they have ever belonged. In October 2011, the Obakki Foundation drilled a water well. Now there is one less hardship to bear in Malou, one more reason to rejoice.

Installing a borehole equipped with a hand pump is a 6-stage process.

1. Site Selection

Selecting the site of the borehole carefully minimizes the risk of a dry or low yielding well and ensures the needs of the community are met. At this time a community water committee is formed. These five people, at least two of which should be women, will ensure the area around the well is fenced, kept clean, collect user fees and oversee any necessary repairs etc.

2. Mobilization and Site Preparation

This refers to getting the needed equipment and personnel to the job site. The distance from base, the road conditions, the availability of materials and gas and the security situation can all have a big impact on how quickly work can begin. Concurrently the community is preparing the site by clearing brush, trees and other impediments.

3. Drilling

The drilling process can take up to three days depending on the geology of the ground and the equipment being used. If a rock is hit air drills may become necessary. During drilling surface casing is often required to prevent the borehole from caving in.

4. Casing and Completion

Once drilling has been completed the well screen and casing needs to be installed and the gravel pack, grout sanitary seal and backfill placed. Small diameter gravel filters debris out of the water before it seeps into the perforated casing and is then pumped to the surface.

5. Well Development & Pumping Test

Once construction is completed the water well needs to be cleaned and developed. Cleaning involves flushing the well with chlorinated water for 4-6 hours to ensure that any contaminants introduced during the drilling process are removed. A submersible pump is lowered into the borehole to flush the system of contaminated water. Following this a pumping test and water sampling is required to verify the flow rate and water quality.

6. Platform Casting & Pump Installation

The wellhead is set into a cement platform, which is left to cure for 1 day. A 6-meter runoff trough is also cast in cement to prevent water from pooling around the wellhead and seeping back into the borehole and contaminating it. Once the platform has cured the final components of the hand pump are installed. The well is now ready to be used.