A Year Later: Ernest Bai Koroma Secondary School

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to drill a well for Ernest Bai Koroma Secondary School in Sierra Leone. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – and we’re excited to share this one from local team member Madieu Turay with you.

Students are not leaving school and roaming around in search of pure drinking water.

The water from the borehole is also used for cleaning classrooms, latrines, and the students themselves. They are using soap and clean water to wash their hands.

There is a new two-classroom building that was built using water from the well.

We spoke to Mr. Komrabai Conteh and student Amara Sumah about some of the other changes they've noticed over the year.

From left to right: Mr. Komrabai Conteh, Amara Sumah, Madieu Turay

"There is an improvement in school health and sanitation," said Mr. Conteh.

"About one quarter of the community people also have access to fetch water at the school compound."

Construction of the well is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project is committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by donors like you, allows us to maintain our relationships with communities by visiting up to 4 times each year to ensure that the water points are safe and reliable.

This is just one of the many ways that we monitor projects and communicate with you. Additionally, you can always check the functionality status and our project map to see how all of our water points are performing, based on our consistent monitoring data.

One project is just a drop in the bucket towards ending the global water crisis, but the ripple effects of this project are truly astounding. This well at Ernest Bai Koroma Secondary School is changing many lives.

"We are now used to drinking pure water in class," said Amara.

Amara Sumah

"We also have stopped going to the swamp with my colleagues to fetch water. We also use the water to launder and take showers after playing football around the compound."

This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, our local teams, the community, and you. We are excited to stay in touch with this community and support their journey with safe water.

Read more about The Water Promise and how you can help.