Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
Community Details
When the Living Water Burkina Faso team arrived in Naro Village to restore access to safe drinking water, the 350-household community and primary school with 212 students (114 boys and 98 girls) was suffering from using surface water and unprotected hand-dug wells to support 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. This community would be a good candidate for a second project in the future so adequate water is available. To learn more, click here.) To end their suffering, the Living Water team began the immediate task of restoring the community’s idle well. Undertaking this task, however, was not an easy one, as problems arose instantly. The initial and biggest challenge was removing 12 galvanized pipes that were rusting and coated with black sludge. After the removal of these materials, the team was able to lower a submersible pump into the well to clean the well from the contaminated water. You can see, in the photos below, how the water went from a brown/orange color to 30 minutes later being lightly colored, to an hour later being crystal clear! The Living Water team was excited to be able to restore this well to its original capacity and to provide a good water quality during the well rehabilitation. After the project was complete, the community added a drain pit, gravel and rocks to the project to seal the sanitation issues around the well site. During the well rehabilitation, the local Association Krista Lawyir church, Catholic church and Protestant church worked with the Living Water team and alongside the six-person Water Committee to help secure safe drinking water in the community. Not only did this empower the local church to share the gospel, but it also opened doors to utilizing safe drinking water as a permanent entry-point to sharing the Good News with families in Naro village and in the surrounding commune. In all, there were 350 men, 350 women and 260 children who were exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ – who alone satisfies the deepest thirst. Through the Involvement Model that was used to initially engage the local church, the church will be able to speak the name of Jesus in Naro village today and for many years to come!
Hygiene Promotion
During the hygiene education, the Living Water team, using the Living Water Traditional method, which focuses on presenting five or more community-appropriate hygiene and sanitation lessons to community families, shared life-saving hygiene and sanitation lessons. These lessons included: germs, hand washing-proper techniques and water saving methods, good-bad hygiene behaviors, proper care of the pump and keeping the water clean. All of the lessons were taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community-driven solutions.
After the initial lessons, the Living Water team had an opportunity to hear a beneficiary’s opinion on the lessons. He shares, "The hygiene lessons that you came to teach us were very interesting. Sanitation and hygiene is a preoccupation for our families and us. We have learned things today that we did not know."
Community Member Interview
"We want to thank the Eternal Father for all of the good things he has given us. We didn’t have clean water before, but now we do, and we thank you," shared 33-year-old community member and farmer, Marcelin Some. "We wish you a long life and courage so that you can continue this good work for other villages. We want our relationship to be real before God and each other. We want this pump to last a long time, and we will thank the Lord always."
