A Year Later: #5 Dumbuya Road

A year ago, generous donors helped build a new well and latrines for the community surrounding #5 Dumbuya Road in Sierra Leone. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to 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 partner Nanah Mansaray with you.

This water project has been beneficial and is improving people’s life in their community because they are now using good and pure water for their daily activities. The community now uses good pit latrine facilities instead of going to the bush, they have clothes lines, rubbish pits, etc. This change was because of the hygienic training that was conducted and introduced to them in their community by the WaSH staff.

Chairlady M'balia Sillah says, “The biggest changes from this water project is we don’t have to buy water from other communities or send our children and young girls to go to far away streams. Now, after the completion of this water project, our children and young girls are not suffering any more from this difficulty. This is a great change which is positive in our community."

"Our people in this community are using both the water project facility and also using the sanitary facilities been introduced from the staff during education training. There is vast improvement from the people in this community in using such facility. Though there are no difficult continued challenges, we still need to advise the community people time to time about their hygienic and sanitary practices."

12-year-old Alhajie Turay says that his life has changed drastically since the water project was implemented last year. "Before, my brothers, sisters and friends use to go to school late at times because we fetch water from other communities, the stream or, sometimes our parents buy from traders in bundles. Due to these reasons, I usually was late for school, but after the water project, I can now wake up on time, do my studies in the morning, do my domestic work, eat and dress for school without being late."

The pump is working properly and they are using the hygienic and sanitary practices properly in their community. The field staff will continue to monitor the operation on proper functioning of the pump and other facilities such as chlorinating the pump and talk to the members of the committee to clean the pump daily and weekly.

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.