Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
Community Details
Working through heavy rainfall to secure safe drinking water that was intended to benefit 84 families living in Sahore Village, the Living Water drill team persisted. Unsafe water had plagued the community for far too long and had forced residents to depend on unprotected wells, tube wells, protected hand-dug wells and various forms of surface water to sustain their immediate water needs. The perpetuating cycle of suffering did not end with unsafe water, as the community existed with daily burdens caused by disease, including: cholera, dysentery, typhoid and malaria, among other preventable water-related illnesses. The community’s practice of open defecation coupled with other poor hygiene and sanitation choices also contributed to productive days lost. Ready to end their long-time suffering and knowing safe water was foundational to restored health and community development, church leaders contacted the Living Water team while Living Water was working in a neighboring village and asked for help. Living Water responded!
Not only is safe water essential for community development and good health, but the safe water successfully secured in Sahore Village will also help support efforts being made by the government of Burkina Faso through PABSO and PNGTII projects that are geared towards aiding Lowland Management Projects and Second National Rural Development Programs in the southwest region of the country. Together, these groups have an end goal of providing compost pits, wells and gardens in the rural, developing Ioba Province of Burkina Faso.
Before drilling commenced, the team held a meeting with the community Chief, Government Councilor, President of the Community Village and the Church Pastor, along with a handful of other community leaders. In all, there were 67 people (21 men and 46 women) present for the meeting, where the team introduced the project approach and discussed areas of work that needed community involvement. During the construction of the improved water point, the community established a six-person Water Committee that provided labor, materials, security over the team’s equipment and meals for the team. The Living Water team not only encouraged community participation through initial community involvement, but also encouraged long-term involvement through the provision of well maintenance and water resource management trainings. The community and the Water Committee, who spearheaded community involvement on behalf of the community, agreed to improve the sanitation around the well site by building a canal, animal trough and soak drain pit. The local mayor worked with the Water Committee to help them understand their current and long-term roles for supporting the improved water point and ensuring the well site stayed clean and the water remained uncontaminated for many years to come. Behavior change, as it relates to hygiene and sanitation, is not an easy feat in rural, developing areas of the world. To help encourage the upkeep of the improved water point, the community opened a bank account to help finance any necessary future repairs and initiated the start-up fund with a $50 USD deposit.
The local Catholic church played an active role, as well, in the restoration of the improved water point and worked alongside the Living Water team to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, who alone satisfies the deepest thirst, with 470 people (205 men, 160 women and 105 children). The church is revered, in this area, as a water resource leader because of its continued and extensive involvement helping secure safe drinking water in physically and spiritually thirsty communities. It is one of Living Water’s goals to ensure the church retains their “heroes’” status among the people in the Ioba Province of Burkina Faso – keeping doors to the gospel open for this generation and the next.
Hygiene Promotion
"The sanitation around the well site is improved as the people of the community put their hands together to make improvements themselves," shared an encouraged Living Water Hygiene and Sanitation team member. "They reconstructed the water canal and animal trough that carries excess water from the well site, and they dug a drain pit and covers the trough so that water can spread into the soil without creating additional sanitation problems." To further the benefits of having restored access to an improved water source, the Living Water team shared life-saving hygiene and sanitation lessons using the LWI Traditional Method, which is a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices and implement community-driven solutions, with 310 people (70 men, 190 women and 50 children). Some of the lessons taught were: germs, hand washing-proper techniques and water saving methods, good-bad hygiene behaviors, proper care of the pump and keeping the water clean.
Community Member Interview
"Our pump was broken down and we suffered many months without clean water here," shared 67-year-old community member and farmer, Nouon. "It happened that the women of the village had to leave and go to neighboring villages to search for water. Truly, we did not have the money to repair this pump. It kept breaking down because the parts were rusting. Thanks to God and our church (AKLY) here, the pump is repaired with many things. I am very happy in my heart and also joy rests in the hearts of our community. We will thank God and you for this good work you have done. Thank you."
