A Year Later: #10 Brima Lane Community

A year ago, generous donors helped build a new well with the #10 Brima Lane Community in Sierra Leone. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Madieu Turay, with you.

The coming of this water project in this community has created peace. Some community members were not talking to each other before, but the WaSH committee that was formed by this water project normally hold their meeting every month. They ask questions like, is anyone having any problems at home? If yes, they normally go to that home and create peace between those people, tell them what God spoke about your neighbor in the Holy Quran and Bible. Although they are Muslims, they also believe in some scriptures in the Bible, too.

The pump caretaker Musa Kabia describes the changes he has seen since the well was installed last year. “New houses being built are now having a self-contained inside toilet. Safe water is now closer to us in our community. One of our challenges is still poor hygiene. As a WaSH committee member, we are about to sit together as a group and sensitize people house to house about hygiene.”

Hassan Bangura, a 14-year-old in the community has seen a great change because of access to safe water. “My improvement in school is much more better over the past year. I am now going to school on time and do my homework easily without working on it in hast. I also launder my uniform every day after school as compared before.”

In this community, the rubbers they used to fetch water are not clean. Hygiene and sanitation in this community is poor. There is standing water around the well and no proper garbage disposal. However, we continue monitoring and visiting this well and community every three months. We are working with the WaSH committee about the situation with standing water, dirty rubbers and proper garbage disposal. They will address this at their next meeting. We will follow up on this during our next visit as well.

The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.