A Year Later: Water is the Universal Solvent!

Before we rehabilitated the well at Lungi Government Hospital, the nurses, doctors, and hospital staff struggled with their jobs without sufficient water to perform procedures and keep the facility clean. The well would dry out entirely from April to June, and the nurses would have to leave the hospital compound in search of water, when their time would be much better spent with their patients.

"It was really difficult to clean the hospital and toilets," said Fatmata, a staff member at the hospital. "And the nurses were finding it very hard to do their work, as water is the universal solvent: no human being can go without it."

But now that the well has sufficient water for the needs of both the hospital and the surrounding community, things are running much more smoothly.

"The nurses easily take care of the domestic [work] quickly," Fatmata explained. "Because of the availability of enough water, the hospital toilets are now clean always."

Clean sanitation facilities are always critical, but at a hospital where patients' health may already be compromised, the importance of clean toilets cannot be overstated.

"[We have our] water supply all over the hospital building," Fatmata said. "[We always have] easy access to get pure and safe drinking water for the patients."