September, 2022: Masukutse Community Spring Protection Complete!

Masukutse Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Pius Misango Spring into a flowing source of naturally filtered water thanks to your donation. Our team also trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for community members to live better, healthier lives.

"The protected spring will help me access clean water for domestic uses such as drinking, washing, and general cleaning, among others," said 41-year-old farmer Susan Naliaka. "I will no longer be stepping in the water as I draw [it], as was the case before the spring protection. Given the pipe, it will be convenient to draw water from the spring."

Susan.

"The protected spring is not very far from my house," Susan continued. "I am assured of clean, safe drinking water. In addition, I will have enough time to concentrate on other domestic chores as a mother. I believe that cases of waterborne diseases will be minimal."

Children were just as excited as adults about the new waterpoint.

"Now that the spring has been protected, it will be convenient to draw water from the spring through the pipe," said 14-year-old James M.

James.

"Previously, drawing water led to contamination, because I [would] still step in the same water," James continued. "I will now be accessing clean, safe water for domestic use. I am now assured of extra time to be involved in other academic matters. The protected spring will reduce cases of waterborne diseases."

Preparing for Spring Protection

Community members worked together to source and carry all locally available construction materials to the spring. These included bricks, sand, stones, and fencing poles. Some people also chiseled away at large rocks to break them down into gravel. Because people have to carry most items by hand, the material-collection process can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.

When the community was ready, we sent a lorry to deliver the remaining construction materials, including cement, plastic tarps, and hardware. Then, our construction artisan and field officers deployed to the spring to begin work. Individual households provided meals throughout each day to sustain the work team.

From Open Source to Protected Spring: A Step-by-Step Process

First, we cleared and excavated the spring area. Next, we dug a drainage channel below the spring and several runoff diversion channels above and around the spring. These help to divert surface contaminants away.

Community members help with excavation.

To ensure community members could still access water throughout the construction process, we also dug temporary channels from the spring's eye around the construction site. This allowed water to flow without disrupting community members' tasks or the construction work. Excavation created space for setting the spring's foundation, made of thick plastic tarp, wire mesh, concrete, and waterproof cement.

After establishing the base, we started brickwork to build the headwall, wing walls, and stairs. Once the walls had grown tall enough, we began one of the most crucial steps: setting the discharge pipe. The discharge pipe needs to be positioned low enough in the headwall so the water level never rises above the spring's eye, yet high enough to allow room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipe without making contact.

If we place the discharge pipe too high above the spring's eye, backpressure could force water to emerge elsewhere. Too low, and community members would not be able to access the water easily. We embedded the pipe using clay (or mortar when clay is in short supply) and placed it at an incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

In coordination with brickwork, we pitched stones on both sides of the spring's drainage channel. We then cemented and plastered each stone, forming the rub walls. These walls discourage people and animals from standing in that area, which could cause soil erosion and a clogged drainage area.

We then cemented and plastered both sides of the headwall and wing walls. These finishing layers reinforce the brickwork and prevent water in the reservoir from seeping through the walls. In turn, enough pressure builds in the reservoir box to push water out through the discharge pipe.

As the headwall and wing walls cured, we cemented and plastered the stairs and installed four tiles beneath the discharge pipe. The tiles protect the concrete from the falling water's erosive force while beautifying the spring and facilitating easy cleaning of the spring floor.

The final stage of construction is backfilling the reservoir box behind the discharge pipe. We cleared the collection box of any debris that may have fallen during construction. Then we redirected the temporary diversion channels back into the reservoir box, channeling water into this area for the first time. We closed off all of the other exits to start forcing water through the discharge pipe only.

We filled up the reservoir area with the large, clean stones community members had gathered, arranging them in layers like a well-fitting puzzle. We covered the rocks with a thick plastic tarp to minimize potential contamination sources, then piled enough dirt on top to compensate for future settling.

Community members transplanted grass onto the backfilled soil to help prevent erosion. Finally, the collection area was fenced to discourage any person or animal from walking on it. Compaction can lead to disturbances in the backfill layers and potentially compromise water quality.

The entire construction process took about two weeks of work and patience to allow the cement and plaster to finish curing. As soon as the spring was ready, people got the okay from their local field officers to fetch water.

We officially handed over the spring to mark the community's ownership of the water point. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions. The community members gathered together to celebrate the flowing water from the protected spring. Some of them sang songs to celebrate the spring protection process. They thanked everyone for considering them for the spring protection.

Training on Health, Hygiene, and More

Together with the community, we found their preferred date for training while considering other community calendar events, such as the agricultural season and social events. We requested a representative group of community members to attend training and relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

When the day arrived, facilitators Mary and Rose deployed to the site to lead the event. 20 people attended the training, including 15 women and five men. We held the training at Pius Misango's home, since he owns the land the spring is on and he is the spring's namesake. He contributed a great deal to the project by cooperating and allowing us to use his land for the communal good.

Pius sits behind the field officer as she trains the community.

We covered several topics, including community participation in the project, leadership and governance, personal and environmental hygiene, water handling and treatment, spring maintenance, dental hygiene, the ten steps of handwashing, disease prevention, and how to make and use handwashing stations.

During the leadership and governance session, we held an election for the newly formed water user committee leaders, who will oversee the maintenance of the spring. We also brainstormed income-generating activities. Community members can now start a group savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group, enabling them to develop small businesses.

The participants' favorite topic was soap-making, which they were excited to learn and teach to their fellow community members. They asked for information on where to buy ingredients so they could make their own batches of soap and pass the knowledge down to future generations.

Pius stirs the soap while community members watch.

Another topic that drew a lot of attention was handwashing, during which community members came to understand that they had been doing the wrong thing by rinsing their hands with water from a shared basin. They had done this to avoid having to fetch extra water. But we trained them on how to make a simple, inexpensive handwashing station called a tippy-tap so that community members can easily wash their hands with running water in the future and won't transfer germs so easily from one household member to another.

Susan (quoted earlier) stands to the left while another community member washes her hands using the newly installed tippy-tap.

"The training taught me how to live harmoniously with members of my family and the community at large," said 63-year-old chairman of the water user committee Joshua Mdogo. "The training also taught me that it just takes a few committed members to bring a change in the community. In the future, communities need to be ready to do in-kind contributions so that project implementation is successful. With the completion of the project and the training done, my health [and] well-being has been changed."

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members themselves. When an issue arises concerning the spring, the water user committee is equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact their local field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.

With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!

Thank you for making all of this possible!

August, 2022: Masukutse Community Spring Protection Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Masukutse drains people’s time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!