Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Rwanda

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase: 
Community Managed
Implementing Partner Monitoring Data Unavailable
Initial Installation: May 2011

Project Features


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Community Profile

Our implementing partner reports...

When the team arrived, community members and students were forced to travel 2 kilometers to a small stream for water or walk 2.5 kilometers to Lake Muhazi. Because of this, students were unable to stay in school and were suffering from dysentery, malaria, diarrhea and severe dehydration. There had also been four students' deaths in the past three years, from students drowning in attempt to collect water. During the team's stay, community members assembled a water committee lead by one man and one woman who assisted the team with the water project and provided security over the project during the night. The majority of community members sustain a living by farming.

There are a handful of community members who are able to sell their produce at local markets, while the majority must utilize all of their produce to feed their families. The nearest school is a secondary school, located in the community whose students, teachers and administrative personnel all have access to the new, safe water source.

Before leaving the community, the team provided community member and water committee leader, Anaclet Karamuka, with a LWI Rwanda contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to
vandalism or theft.

The team had an opportunity to meet with twenty-eight year old community member and school director of discipline, Anaclet Karamuka, who stated, "The old water was dirty. It was expensive to have driven to the school and it was too dangerous for the kids to go to fetch it. Now we are happy for the availability of clean water."

LWI Rwanda team member, Philip Rukamba, shared an introductory hygiene lesson with community members, including 870 secondary students. During the hygiene education; which will be followed-up with quarterly, the team addressed the following principle issues: Disease transmission, Germs, Hand Washing- proper techniques and water saving methods, Healthy Unhealthy Communities, Oral Rehydration Solution, Proper care of the pump, Keeping the water clean, Tippy Tap- simple hand washing devise, Good-bad hygiene behaviors, Disease Transmission Stories and Dental Hygiene.

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Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


Sponsors


66 individual donors
Cynthia Flint Crawford
Jamie Davidow & Maisie Aines
Jamie Davidow and Maisie Aines
Furness family
CGBC YAC
University Friends Meeting Children's Program
Norcross Presbyterian Church
Shiloh Middle School
Glenridge Neighborhood Water Project
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church
AKF Group LLC
Jonah Development Group