Water is now flowing in City of Ubuntu Sanki, and we are delighted!
On November 30, 2025, two teams worked hard in City of Ubuntu to install the solar-powered automatic irrigation system. The first team, led by Simo Boris, took care of installing the solar panels and the pump. The second team, led by Romarick Nguepi, installed the 5,000-liter tank at a height to receive water from the borehole and redistribute it to various parts of the land.
The answer to a pressing need
Visitors arriving at City of Ubuntu during the dry season could hear the plants begging: “Give us water!”
During the rainy season (March to October), when rainfall is regular, City of Ubuntu is green with a beautiful savanna landscape where shrubs stand proudly among tall grasses swaying in the wind.
In the dry season (October to March), the beauty of this paradise is transformed into a desolate sight: the dry grass is consumed by fire and its ashes scatter everywhere, mingling with the dust that covers the yellowed and pale leaves.
These scenes were repeated every year at City of Ubuntu: enormous work to plant during the rainy season, a lack of irrigation during the dry season that brought everything back to square one.
This year, it was absolutely necessary to rewrite this story. The stakes were high: to save the 2,000 cocoa trees we planted along with 2,000 banana trees, dozens of avocado and mango trees, medicinal plants, and other plants that make this site so beautiful.
Economic support from the ladies of Vienna’s Club Creativ
It must be said that the idea had been there since last year when we saw trees planted the year before wither and die. Since the beginning of March this year, our goal has been to install an irrigation system on the City of Ubuntu site in Sanki. We discussed this project with people close to us who share our Ubuntu dream. We were delighted to hear that the ladies of the Club Creativ in Vienna’s 8th district had decided to contribute to the realization of this project. After the success of the Advent market, they chose to show their generosity to the Ubuntu project by providing water through a solar-powered pump, where human muscles had struggled to bring up this precious liquid to quench the thirst of plants and animals.
A project in the spirit of Ubuntu: collaboration between many people
The beauty of this project lies in the people who came together to make it happen. The ladies of the Creativ club in Vienna worked to design decorative items for Advent and Christmas. People from various backgrounds purchased these creations. The money generated by these sales was transferred to Cameroon. Volunteers from the city of Ubuntu, Cameroon, spent two days scouring the shops of Bafoussam looking for and purchasing the necessary materials. Finally, specialists came on site to carry out the installations. The project was coordinated by Jean de Dieu, the CEO of City of Ubuntu, who made the trip for this purpose. He was accompanied by Claude, Armand, and Fabrice. The City of Ubuntu team consisted of Boniface, Basil, and Borel. The team members on site will use this water to water the plants; the fruits of these plants will be eaten by people who may not even be born yet…
And what’s next…
Life at City of Ubuntu is like a pilgrimage where the long journey is taken together, one step at a time. This approach is both pragmatic and educational. It is pragmatic because we do what we can with what we have. It is also educational because we learn as we go along. In addition, we give those who observe us the opportunity to see the steps we have taken and possibly be inspired by them. The next steps at City of Ubuntu will be to set up a rainwater collection system and, over time, install a drip irrigation system.
