Kafunka Village Well Rehab
Project Snapshot
Country: Sierra Leone
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude 8.592233
Longitude -13.139517
Impact:
Total Served: 300
Status: Completed (?)
Completion Date (or estimate): 12/20/2011
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Our implementing partner reports directly from the field...
A LWI Sierra Leone team member commented, “The way the community protected the well after we did the cement work. It shows how important it is to them. They are very cooperative. They are willing to work with us and the Child Health Club to form a water and sanitation committee and also work towards the community becoming ODF (open
defecation free).” When the team arrived, community members were dependent on a river located one kilometer away from the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this, families were suffering from dysentery, typhoid and malaria. Most community members sustain their families by farming, processing and making salt and
petty trading. The nearest school is located two kilometers away from the community whose students, teachers and administrative personnel all have access to the new, safe water source. The community also established a water committee who is responsible for collecting a maintenance fee of $0.02 per five gallons of water. This money is to be saved and used for well maintenance.
The LWI Sierra Leon team had an opportunity to meet with thirty-two year old community member and trader, Naseratu Kamara, who stated, “With the distance, it is a long walk and far away. The water is dirty during the rains. It is contaminated and is not pure. It is unprotected. During the dry, all the streams are dry, except we have to go to the next village for water. So with the new well all of our problems will be stopped. We are so happy about this!”
The gathering of the community is so impressive and attractive. The people gave their cooperation. The hygiene girls did their work based on the cooperation of the community. The hygiene training was so impressive looking at the distribution of the cups and spoons for the ORS training. The people implemented the ORS lesson very well. The people understood the hygiene training and understood the importance of proper implementation in a correct manner. They praised the almighty and gave thanks to Living Water and The Water Project. They were so thankful for this training. There were 73 adults, 85 children and 73 ORS spoons were distributed. The students from Mamankie DEC School helped with the training and discussed the importance of using a toilet.
Bibles will be distributed at the dedication of the sanitation project at the DEC Mamankie Primary School. The story of the Good Samaritan was shared with this community. They really appreciated it. When the Gospel was presented, all of them received Christ. We need to work with a local pastor from a nearby community to come here to disciple these new converts.
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.
