Borehole Well and Hand Pump
Rehabilitation Project
Eleven-year-old Emma knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. "I want to become a nurse," she says, "so I will treat and give health talks to the community people."
It's a clear, determined vision — the kind that deserves every chance to become reality. She is one of 355 students at Saint George Roman Catholic Primary School in Bakolo village, Sierra Leone, where four teachers work hard to serve a growing population, and where something as basic as a water crisis stands in everyone's way.
It is directly blocking Emma's path.
Emma stands in the swamp to collect water.
Every day, Emma picks up a rubber bucket and makes the long trek to a nearby swamp. The school's well broke down years ago, and the swamp is all that's left. The walk alone devours an hour of her day — an hour she could spend in class, taking notes, studying, preparing for the future she's mapped out so carefully.
"I miss lessons, and my uniform gets soaked," Emma says. "I will not be able to return to school quickly due to the distance."
When she does return, she's behind. "My performance at school will not be good," she worries, "and this will lead me not to be promoted to the next class."
Emma hauls water back to school.
The swamp itself is no safe refuge. The water is visibly contaminated — murky, smelling of fallen leaves, surrounded by tall grass where snakes hide in the brush. Emma and her classmates wade in and dip their buckets, a process that only adds to the contamination they're trying to drink around. On days when the journey feels impossible, she goes without water entirely, trying to hold on until lunchtime before making another trip.
The visibly contaminated swamp.
"Any time I am sent to fetch water, I feel bad," she says quietly.
Emma dreams of nursing school, dreams of serving her community. She should be focused on the exam that will determine whether she advances to the next grade—not on whether she has time to reach the swamp and back before her teacher moves on.
A rehabilitated well at Saint George changes Emma's equation entirely. It means water on the school grounds, which gives her a full day in the classroom. It means a girl with a plan gets the chance to see it through.
"I will be happy if this water well gets repaired," Emma says. "So what I [have] in mind can come true."
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 rehabilitate an unsafe, insufficient well to convert it to a borehole well.
Rehabilitating a 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.
The well marked for this overhaul is dry for several months a year and needs major work to supply adequate, clean water to the community year-round. A hand auger will be lowered inside the well, powered by a drill team. The team will work to drill several meters deeper to hit a sufficient water column to ensure the well supplies water throughout all seasons. As the team drills, the casing will be installed, transforming the bottom of this well into a borehole. PVC piping will connect this lower system directly to the pump, a component we know will also improve water quality. Finally, we will reconstruct the platform for the well and attach the hand pump.
Once this plan is implemented, everyone within the community will have access to safe drinking water in quality and quantity, even through the dry months.
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 our team's guidance, the community elects a water user committee representative of its diverse members. This committee assumes responsibility for maintaining the water point, organizing community efforts, and gathering fees to ensure its upkeep.
