A Year Later: Petifu Junction Community

A year ago, generous donors helped bring safe, reliable water for Petifu Junction Community in Sierra Leone. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow 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 Madieu Turay with you.

The livelihoods of these people have improved immensely since the completion of this project in this village, and they're still benefiting a year later.

"Some of the biggest problems before the construction of this water well were really bad. Our children and our women used to go to the valley, where there is a big stone and it was under that stone that the water came from and so they had to put a little container and wait for a while, that process would takes up to fifteen 15 minutes for the water to fill the container because the water was coming out as just droplets," Mr. Mohamed Sesay, the caretaker of the land where the well is located, said.

Mr. Mohamed Sesay

By having pure water to drink nearby, cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea have all decreased. According to the Prereferral Health Unit in Petifu Junction, most waterborne diseases have decreased over the past year due to the pure water that they now have.

Installation of the well is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project and Mariatu’s Hope (our trusted local partner) are 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 functional well in Petifu Junction is changing many lives.

Sinah Sesay used to lose time at school to fetching water before the completion of the well. Now she does not have to worry about getting clean water and traveling a long distance to fetch it.

Sinah Sesay

"Since the completion of this well in this community, there is a great change compared to the previous years," she said.

The ripple effects of this project are truly astounding. This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, Mariatu’s Hope, 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.