Borehole Well and Hand Pump
Rehabilitation Project
The Munzakula Dispensary struggles to provide care to those in need because they face each day without access to safe, reliable water. And without water, providing professional medical services to the average of 90 patients a day is nearly impossible.
Community health promoter Agnes Njilimani shared how the lack of water has a daily impact.
"Water is very essential for maintaining hygiene, that is, washing hands, cleaning patient wounds, drinking, and keeping the facility clean. Whenever there is no clean water, it becomes really hard to provide the patient care needed for proper and faster healing. It sometimes affects basic day-to-day functions like cooking, laundry, and general sanitation."
Agnes.
"This being a healthcare facility, we require a lot of water to do things like washing of lab equipment, cleaning of floors, hands, and so much more. Whenever any of these do not happen, [the] level of patient care tends to decrease, making it even harder for the patients to have [a] speedy recovery. It can also lead to a spread of diseases not only among the patients but also for the staff. Basically, [the] lack of water has a very negative impact to the patients' lives," Ms. Njilimani.
"The fact that one of our water sources is seasonal makes it very hard for us to have easy access to water sometimes. We depend on rainwater for a lot of activities, including cooking and the cleaning of our facility," she continued.
"When there is no water in the rainwater tank, we are forced to pay for someone to collect the water from a nearby spring because the jerricans brought by our head nurse cannot serve us the whole day, which is expensive for the facility. There is also a question of who should get the water first, from the men, women, and children, or even those people who require urgent care," said Agnes.
The insufficient rain tank.
When the staff can't rely on rainwater because the tank has run dry, they must travel to a community spring or pay someone to collect it for them. It's not an easy solution that demands time, attention, and resources that should be redirected to patient care instead, but without an alternative solution, they have no choice.
"During the rainy season, accessing the spring becomes a major problem because of the slippery terrain leading to the water point. This poses a great risk of injury to both the healthcare facility workers and the community it serves in general. However, in cases where the members have no choice, they have to brave their way to the spring for water that has no guarantee of cleanliness," shared Field Officer Carolyne Buradi.
"During the dry seasons, the facility head nurse would carry two twenty-liter jerricans in his vehicle from their homes to avoid paying someone to get water for them because it is expensive and a risk because where the water was fetched [from] was not trusted. During the period, they would even encourage patients who visit the facility to carry water from their home when visiting, in case they happen to take medication from the facility, but it was not a sure practice, as the healthcare workers would not know how the water was handled and where it was fetched from," Carolyne continued.
Agnes collects water from the spring.
We plan to help Agnes and the staff of Munzakula Dispensary have a different future where they can provide care to the best of their ability with the critical resource of water. We will install a well that will ensure water is always available to them whenever they need it.
"With water access, we could help reduce infection rates by ensuring all surfaces are clean. We would also be able to conduct education on hygiene more effectively. Water access would help us move from just treating illnesses to actively advocating for awareness on waterborne disease, effects, and solutions," said Agnes (quoted earlier).
Steps Toward a Solution
For health care settings, immediate access to a large quantity of clean water is crucial for handwashing, sterilization of equipment, cleaning, and safe childbirth. Water that is off-site creates delays, impacts patient care, and increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
Our coverage goals aim for all health centers to have an on-premises water source that will sufficiently serve the patients, healthcare providers, and staff to ensure accessibility, reliability, and safety. With more water available, healthcare workers do not have to ration water, worry about purchasing water with their limited funds, or make tough decisions about when to wash their hands or equipment.
Reliable, clean water ensures that healthcare workers have sufficient water so they can provide excellent patient care!
Our technical experts worked with the health center leadership and the local community to identify the most effective solution to their water crisis. They decided to drill a borehole well, construct a platform for the well, and attach a hand pump.
Well
Abundant water often lies just beneath our feet. Aquifers—natural underground rivers—flow through layers of sediment and rock, offering a constant supply of safe water. A borehole well is drilled deep into the earth to access this naturally filtered and protected water. We penetrate meters, sometimes even hundreds of meters, of soil, silt, rock, and more to reach the water underground. Once found, we construct a platform for the well and attach a hand pump. The community gains a safe, enclosed water source capable of providing approximately five gallons of water per minute. Learn more here!
Handwashing Stations
Alongside each water source, we install two gravity-fed handwashing stations, enabling everyone at the health center to wash their hands. Handwashing is crucial for preventing water-related illnesses within the health center and community. Health center staff will maintain the stations, fill them with water, and supply them with soap, which we often teach them how to make.
Latrines
We ensure there are Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine blocks that effectively prevent the transmission of fecal diseases. Each latrine will boast a durable cement floor for easy use and maintenance. We’ll ensure at least one stall is reserved for staff, along with gender-separated toilets that include menstrual hygiene facilities and accessible options for individuals with limited mobility.
Health Care Staff and Community Education & Ownership
Hygiene and sanitation training are integral to our water projects. Training is tailored to each community's specific needs and includes key topics such as proper water handling, improved hygiene practices, disease transmission prevention, and care of the new water point. Safe water and improved hygiene habits foster a healthier future for everyone in the community.
Encouraged and supported by the guidance of our team, a water user committee representative of the community's diverse members assumes responsibility for maintaining the water point, often gathering fees to ensure its upkeep.
