Gboilla Village Well Repair
Project Snapshot
Country: Sierra Leone
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude 8.287583
Longitude -12.949267
Impact:
Total Served: 96
Status: Completed (?)
Completion Date (or estimate): 11/10/2010
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This village is located deep into the bush. One of the local counsel people notified the LWI Sierra Leone team about this problem. The community was so happy we had come. They showed us the MOU that was written up when the well was initially dug (by another organization) and many of the items that had been promised, like hygiene training and well repair training, had never been done. They felt lied to. They were so happy when we did what we said we would do. Since their pump was broken they were gathering water from the open top of the well. This open well caused cholera, dysentery, typhoid and malaria. They worked alongside the team by providing materials and labor. The team repaired the pump handle, pump head, rod-sucker and cylinder. Most people in the community earn a living through farming, fishing, and salt making. When the well was complete, the community established a point person to be the caretaker of the well. Testimony from a community member: Makai Kargbo, 27 year old farmer spoke with the team about the water needs for her community. “I am very glad because clean water means less sickness. I have two children, one boy who is 5 years old and one girl that is 9 years old. I am very thankful. The water was so dirty, now we enjoy clean water, tenke tenke!”
There were 13 adults and 10 children who attended this hygiene training. There were 13 ORS spoons distributed. This is a very small community. The hygiene team talked about open defecation and how it transmits disease through the community. Only two houses in the village have toilets. They discussed the native toilet and it was agreed that this is a good idea. The team will follow up with this community in the hopes of them buying into CLTS (community led total sanitation) for their village. They enjoyed the hygiene lessons and they promised they were going to put what they learned into practice. The village is Muslim dominated. They were willing and happy to hear the Gospel about Jesus and they are willing to be followers of Christ. Makie Kargbo is the head woman in the community and she is willing to teach hygiene.
The team partnered with Pastor Lamin to show the Jesus video. There was also bible storying told at the well dedication. The community prayed with the team prior to beginning any work. At the completion of the installation, we gathered back around the well to dedicate it up to Papa God. The community was so thankful. They were happy the team had done what they said they were going to do. They felt so encouraged.
Project Photos
Country Details
Sierra Leone
- Population: 9.7 Million
- Lacking clean water: 47%
- Below poverty line: 70%
- Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season; winter dry season
- Languages: English, Mende, Temne, Krio
- Ethnic Groups: 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10%
- Life Expectancy: 48 years
- Infant Mortality Rate: 155 deaths per 1000 live births
Partner Profile
Living Water International
Nearly 20 years ago, we set out to help the church in North America be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving the poorest of the poor. 600 million people in the world live on less than $2 a day. 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water.
For all practical purposes, these statistics refer to the same people; around the world, communities are trapped in debilitating poverty because they constantly suffer from water-related diseases and parasites, and/or because they spend long stretches of their time carrying water over long distances.
In response to this need, we implement participatory, community-based water solutions in developing countries. Since we started, we’ve completed water projects for 7,000 communities in 26 countries.
It all began in 1990, when a group from Houston, Texas traveled to Kenya and saw the desperate need for clean drinking water. They returned to Houston and founded a 501(c)3 non-profit. The fledgling organization equipped and trained a team of Kenyan drillers, and LWI Kenya began operations the next year under the direction of a national board.
That pattern continues today; we train, consult, and equip local people to implement solutions in their own countries.
Remembering the life-changing nature of that first trip in 1990, we also lead hundreds of volunteers on mission trips each year, working with local communities, under the leadership of nationals, to implement water projects. It’s hard to know which lives are changed more—those “serving” or those “being served.”
Our training programs in shallow well drilling, pump repair, and hygiene education have equipped thousands of volunteers and professionals in the basics of integrated water solutions since 1997.
