Lungi Town, Mapeh Village

Photo of Lungi Town, Mapeh Village

Project Snapshot

Country: Sierra Leone

GPS Coordinates:
  Latitude 8.703267
  Longitude -13.199433

Impact:
  Total Served: 550

Status:  Completed (?)

Completion Date (or estimate): 12/30/2010

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When the team arrived the community was utilizing a river as their primary source of water and because of this residents were suffering from Dysentery and Malaria. During the team's stay the community assisted with the water project whenever possible and provided materials whenever necessary. The majority of community residents sustain a living by farming and selling their produce at local markets and the nearest school is located .5 of a kilometer away from the community. Before leaving the community the team provided community resident Chief Abu Conteh with a LWI 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 forty-six year old female community resident and local trader Hawa Bangura who stated, "With the previous water source, I used to have to let the water settle before I could use it. It was open and dirty. The new water source is healthier than the old. It will improve well body and help to control the spread of sickness. That put together with the well body training should make a big difference in our village. Thank you!"

During the hygiene education there were 157 adults and 50 children in attendance. The team provided 140 Oral Rehydration Solution spoons and addressed the following principal issues: Disease transmission, Germs, Hand Washing- proper techniques and water saving methods, Healthy Unhealthy Communities, Diarrhea Doll- causes of diarrhea, Oral Rehydration Solution, Proper care of the pump, Keeping the water clean, Good-bad hygiene behaviors and Disease Transmission Stories.



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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.


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