Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
When the team arrived, 625 community members including a Health Clinic, school and several local churches were dependent on an unprotected hand dug well located 6 kilometers outside the community, various forms of surface water all located a kilometer outside the community, tube wells located 5 kilometers outside the community and a protected hand dug well located 6 kilometers outside the community to meet all of their water needs. (Editor's Note: While this many people may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people. To learn more, click here.) Because of this and the community’s practice of open defecation, families were suffering from diarrhea and severe dehydration among other preventable and water related illnesses. After the well rehabilitation, all the local women came out the moment water started flowing again from this well, and with many empty water basins to fill. During the process of cleaning out the well with an electric submersible pump connected to a generator, the team discovered that water in the well was not abundant. Though this was discouraging to the team, water still comes and collects in the well, just not fast enough for an electric pump. Though an electric pump could not be utilized, the water supplied was sufficient for a manual hand pump installed. There are Community Health Workers in the community who are trained to provide basic medical and health care to better health outcomes for community families. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a Water Committee who assisted with the water project whenever possible and who is responsible for maintain the well after the team leaves the area. Most residents are of Protestant or Catholic faith and with continued support from the Krista Lawyir Church and local Catholic Church, the Gospel will continue to be shared with community families through the provision of safe drinking water. C.I.S.V is another NGO working in the area to locally manage water systems and develop creek areas for farming.
Using the Living Water Traditional Method, the following principle hygiene issues were addressed: Germs, Hand Washing-Proper Techniques and Water Saving Methods, Good-Bad Hygiene Behaviors, Proper Care of Pump and Keeping the Water Clean.
The Living Water Burkina Faso team had an opportunity to meet with 82 year old community member and subsistence farmer, Celestin Some, who stated, "I salute all of you first of all. All the brothers here presently with me, I am very happy and I think that everyone in the village has this joy too. Our pump broken down a while ago and we did not have the means to repair it. The village was in a crisis of potable water. But now, today, we have by the grace of God some good friends, and good partners who have come and helped us out of this crisis. We are very happy, very proud to see clean water flow from the well again. Thank you very much and all those here present to God our strong prayers."
