Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
Community Details
The Living Water Burkina Faso team initially met with the village chief, president of the community village development, president of the water user committee and the village councilor for the government, as well as other village leaders. The community meeting was attended by 207 people (106 men and 101 women). From this meeting, the Living Water team shared:
"This was not the first time for us to work in this village or in this region. Everyone knows who we are and what kind of work we do. We also considered this project last year, but it wasn't as progressed as it is now. Hence, we could no longer deny the great need for intervention and collaboration with the people of Naro to bless the school kids and their neighbors with clean water. The water user committee was already in place, as well as maintenance fees. Thus, we trained and encouraged the people serving on the water committee. We also asked the community and its leaders to repair the sanitation problem around the well site by repairing the canal, the animal trough, and cleaning out and refilling the soak pit for excess water to drain away from the well. Everything was done to our satisfaction, and with this newly-formed community commitment, we were able to move forward with the project."
When the Living Water Burkina Faso team entered Naro Village with the hope of restoring safe water, the people were willing to describe their water situation with the team. A hopeful beneficiary shared, "The water here has tortured us. All of our pumps broke down and we had to drink from a drainage canal and hand-dug wells." Unknowingly, their dependence on unsafe water was not the sole cause of suffering, as their practice of open defecation and other unsafe hygiene and sanitation behaviors further compounded their water burdens and opened doors to disease. Cholera, dysentery, typhoid, malaria, diarrhea and severe dehydration perpetuated a seemingly endless cycle of disease and compromised community development. Hopeful of ending their "water torture" with a restored, safe and reliable water solution, community leaders contacted Living Water Burkina Faso and asked for help. Because of the generous donation from The Water Project and their partners, Living Water was able to respond to the community’s request for restored, safe water!
Living Water was able to redevelop the community’s well to 41 meters, flush, chlorinate and cap the well with an India Mark II hand pump. The team also replaced the following parts: pump head, pump handle, pump rod-sucker rods, pump reservoir-water tank, rising main-drop pipe, cylinder, chain and cylinder seal assembly. The community formed a six-person water committee that was trained to maintain the well and manage its water resources. Community commitment to the restored water source did not end with support from the water committee as the local Catholic church, Protestant church and Krista Lawyir Association worked alongside the team from start to end of the project. Through the churches’ support, life-saving water was not the only life-changing element introduced in the community, as the "living water" of Jesus Christ that satisfies the deepest thirst was shared with 364 people (88 men, 169 women and 107 children). Because of the churches’ involvement they was seen as a partnering provider of the restored, safe water source, which simultaneously opens doors for the church to share the gospel among Christians and Muslims alike that are living in Naro Village. It is solely through the provision of safe water that not only the "living water" was able to enter Naro Village, but also hope for life restored, community development and improved health will now be able to truly transform lives in Naro.
Hygiene Promotion
To allow the community an opportunity to truly know safe water, the Living Water Burkina Faso team shared hygiene and sanitation lessons with 416 beneficiaries (135 men, 141 women and 140 children). Using a 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, hygiene and sanitation lessons were shared. 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. A beneficiary shared his appreciation for the hygiene and sanitation lessons on behalf of the community:
"The people of Naro thank you and ask that God bless you and protect your association and all of your partners. Your teaching is very interesting and permits us to know how to maintain our pump and to guard our water point so that we
can always drink clean water. Thank you."
Community Member Interview
"I wish you, first of all, welcome to our village," shared 50-year-old community member and farmer, Sokianon Some. "We are very numerous and have had the problem of water that has tortured us here. All of our pumps were broken down. We had to drink from the drainage creek and hand-dug wells. But today, I think that the problem has diminished greatly. This project has helped us with the recent rehabilitations here, today, at this site and also at the school site a few months ago. The chiefs of the village thank you with many thanks! May God bless you!"
Christian Witness
There is a church serving in this community that was involved in this project from the start. Because of the churches initial and continued involvement with the restoration of the community’s water source, the church was seen as the provider of the improved water solution. According to the Living Water Burkina Faso team, "Church leaders and members have taken a great interest in this rehab project. We, as an organization, will continue to provide training and counsel for the church where needed. The well committee has collected money for any future repairs and will continue to take up annual collections to keep the account going, which will ensure the longevity of this pump so that all the people of Naro can freely drink of clean water!"
During the well rehabilitation and during hygiene and sanitation lessons, the gospel message of Jesus Christ was shared with beneficiaries. The Living Water team, with support from the church, shared the JESUS film and Scripture with the people.
