Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
A LWI Burkina Faso team member commented, "Even though there was a funeral going on in the village during the rehabilitation, there were people who were willing to come even in the hot sun to be a part of what was going on. The participation and work of the community in the rebuilding of the well platform, wall enclosure, canal and drain was truly exceptional. A marvelous project with high success and high impact!" When the team arrived, community members were utilizing a protected hand dug well located half of a kilometer away from the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this and the community’s practice of open defecation, families were suffering from dysentery, typhoid and malaria. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a water committee consisting of six men and two women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible, provided any materials they had available and made food for the team. This water committee is also responsible for collecting a monthly well maintenance fee of $0.20 per family. Most community members subsistence farm and raise livestock to earn a living. The nearest school is located half of a kilometer away from the community whose students, teachers and administrative personnel all have access to the new, safe water source. Before leaving the community, the team provided community member, Deneniour Dabire, with a LWI Burkina Faso contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.
The LWI Burkina Faso team had an opportunity to meet with sixty year old community member, housewife and farmer, Malvadefa Some, who stated, "Before when we came in the morning to pump water from this well, the water was red. But, when the white people from LWI came, they told us to stop drinking this water from the well. We didn't know exactly why. But after, they showed us a paper and explained to us that we were drinking water with a lot of iron. And, today with this rehabilitation, we have seen with our very own eyes that it was the materials in the well that caused the problem. We thank you in the name of Jesus Christ. I thank also all those who came to participate in this rehabilitation."
During the hygiene education, the LWI Burkina Faso team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions.
