Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 224 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Aug 2025

Functionality Status:  Functional

Project Features


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The 224 people living in this area of the Pepel Community do not have a reliable, safe water source to meet their daily needs. Their primary water source, an unprotected dug well, is seasonal, so people must scramble to find water elsewhere when it runs dry or has limited water available.

The main well suffers from seasonality.

Most often, that means community members cross a busy road to collect water from a further away alternative well. Although this well provides sufficient water, community members have reported suffering from water-related illnesses due to drinking the water.

Moses collects water from the alternative well.

"I feel discouraged each time I am sent to fetch water because of the constraints I face. It is not easy to fetch water in this community, especially during the dry season. This is because our main source is seasonal. The situation forces me to fetch water from the well across the street. Fetching water here is difficult. I must use force for me to draw water from the well. Sometimes, the rope will fall inside the well. All this makes me delay fetching water. Also, I find it difficult to cross the street after fetching water because of the bikes and vehicles that are using this road. Sometimes, I will wait for some time for me to be able to cross. All these situations make me sad each time my parents send me to fetch water," said 16-year-old Moses.

Moses carrying water.

Collecting sufficient water for himself and his family is a daily burden for Moses, leaving him with little energy or time for anything else.

"Fetching water takes most of my time, especially in the morning and evening hours. In the morning, I must fetch enough water that my parents [who] will use [it] till I return from school. It takes more than an hour for this to be done, especially during the dry season when the demand for water is high. By the time I am through fetching water, I will already be late for school," continued Moses.

"After school, I must hurry up and go home so that I [can] continue to fetch water for my mum to prepare the evening’s meal. I will be tired and hungry, mostly when there is no food at home to eat. I spend most of my time in the evening fetching water for my parents. This makes me not have [the] energy to study my notes at night. All this has affected my performance in school exams," continued Moses.

Moses, with other community members, going to collect water.

Moses has dreams of a brighter future as an accountant, but until he has access to sufficient, safe water fulfilling his dreams will be impossible.

Steps Toward a Solution

Our technical experts worked with the local community to identify the most effective solution to their water crisis. They decided to drill a borehole well, construct a platform for the well, and attach a hand pump.

Well
Abundant water often lies just beneath our feet. Aquifers—natural underground rivers—flow through layers of sediment and rock, offering a constant supply of safe water. A borehole well is drilled deep into the earth to access this naturally filtered and protected water. We penetrate meters, sometimes even hundreds of meters, of soil, silt, rock, and more to reach the water underground. Once found, we construct a platform for the well and attach a hand pump. The community gains a safe, enclosed water source capable of providing approximately five gallons of water per minute. Learn more here!

Community Education & Ownership
Hygiene and sanitation training are integral to our water projects. Training is tailored to each community's specific needs and includes key topics such as proper water handling, improved hygiene practices, disease transmission prevention, and care of the new water point. Safe water and improved hygiene habits foster a healthier future for everyone in the community. Encouraged and supported by the guidance of our team, a water user committee representative of the community's diverse members assumes responsibility for maintaining the water point, often gathering fees to ensure its upkeep.

Project Updates


July, 2025: Pepel Community Well Complete!

We are excited to share that your donation provided a safe, reliable well at Pepel Community. As a result, community members no longer rely on unsafe water to meet their daily needs. We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training, which focused on healthy practices such as handwashing and using latrines.

"Now that we have this well, it is much easier to fetch water than before. Initially, I used to use a rope to draw water from the open well we used to have. It was so difficult to do so. But with the handpump that has been fixed on this well, I use less energy. I am able to even fetch enough water for use at home. I will no longer worry [about] going to the other well to fetch water since this well is here and I believe it will not run dry like before," said 40-year-old Kadiatu Karoma.

"Access to safe drinking water is a human right, and I feel proud that my family and I are beneficiaries to this human right. Now we have easy access to safe, reliable, and sustainable water sources, unlike the past when I used to suffer to fetch water to run [our] home. Now that I have easy access to fetch water, I can tell you that my business will expand. I want to take it to the next level," Kadiatu continued.

"This waterpoint will make life easier for my parents, especially my mum. She has to do the cooking and laundering, mostly when I am not around. All this requires water, and it was difficult for her to do it before. Now, she can do it easily because enough water is here," said 17-year-old Moses.

"It will help me to improve on my academic work. This is because I will be able to fetch enough water that can serve us for days. By doing this, I will have time to study because I will [not] fetch water [everyday]," he continued.

After construction was complete, we held a dedication ceremony to officially give responsibility of the well to the community members. Several local dignitaries attended the ceremony, including representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources and the Port Loko Council District. Each official gave a short speech thanking everyone who contributed to the rehabilitation of the water project and encouraging everyone to take good care of it. Then, Kadiatu and Moses made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

Clean Water Restored

The community provided space for the team to store their belongings and meals for the duration of their stay. The following day, the work began!

First, we raised the tripod, the structure we use to hold and maneuver each drilling tool. Next, we measured the protected dug well's original depth and socketed the pipes to install a casing.

Finally, we started to drill! We reached a final depth of 18 meters with water at 10 meters. The team installed the cylinder as far below the water table as possible so that the community has reliable access throughout the year.

With drilling complete, we installed screening and a filter pack to keep out debris when the water is pumped.

Next, we bailed the well and flushed it, clearing any debris generated by the drilling process. Lastly, we tested the water flow to ensure the well would provide clean water with minimal effort at the pump.

Chlorination.

As the project neared completion, we built a new cement platform, walls, and drainage system around the well to seal it off from surface-level contaminants. The drainage system helps to redirect spilled water to help avoid standing water at the well, which is unhygienic and a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

At last, we installed the pump and conducted a water quality test. The results showed that this was clean water fit for drinking!

Community Education

Before conducting any hygiene training, we collaborated with the local water user committee to understand the community’s challenges and lack of sanitation facilities. We identified households without handwashing stations or ones that may need to repair their latrines. With this information, community members worked together to improve hygiene and sanitation at home before the training.

After this preparatory period, we scheduled a time when members from each household using the water point could attend a three-day hygiene and sanitation training.

We taught about proper handwashing, personal and menstrual hygiene, and healthy habits such as using latrines and maintaining a balanced diet. We discussed how disease transmission and water hygiene are crucial to community health. We emphasized the importance of maintaining and caring for the well pump and the cost recovery system.

Learning how to build handwashing tippy taps.

"They were committed and had enthusiasm towards the training. Therefore, they were punctual and regular in training until we completed the three days. The participants laughed when the facilitator [did a] handshake to demonstrate how germs are transmitted through our hands. They referred to the glitter on the hands of the facilitator as feces. This made them burst into laughter. Although [it] was funny, they understood the message on how germs are transmitted when we fail to wash our hands," shared Field Officer Julius Sesay.

Dental hygiene session.

"The training has helped me to gain more knowledge about the importance of personal and environmental hygiene. Now, certain things I took for granted will now be treated with great interest," said Moses (quoted earlier).

Thank you for making all of this possible!




June, 2025: Exciting Progress in Pepel Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for Moses and the entire Pepel Community. Construction has begun on the well rehabilitation project, bringing them one step closer to having clean, reliable water.

But that's not all—during construction, we’re also providing vital health training. These sessions equip the community with essential hygiene practices, ensuring that the benefits of clean water extend to lasting health improvements.

We’re so grateful for your role in making this possible. Stay tuned for more updates—soon, we’ll be celebrating the arrival of safe water in Pepel Community!




Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


Contributors

1 individual donor(s)