June, 2022: Sundulo Community Spring Protection Complete!

Sundulo Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Shem Ndoli Spring into a flowing source of naturally filtered water thanks to your donation. Our team also trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for community members to live better, healthier lives.

Housewife Lilia Ndoli felt stuck in Sundulo before. But since the spring has been protected, that is changing.

"For a long time, our community has been neglected in terms of development," Lilia said, but finally we are happy that at least we have something to be proud of: our protected spring."

"Access to a reliable clean and safe water source will eradicate water-related illness in our community, which in turn will improve our health and well-being. There will be no more queueing at the spring since fetching water is faster than before the spring was protected."

"As a result, I will have more time to engage in income-generating activities to support my husband in providing for our family's basic needs."

Children were just as excited as adults about the new waterpoint.

"My major concerns were accessing water from the unprotected spring and frequent attacks from water-related diseases," said nine-year-old Shaleen. "The spring has now been constructed well and stairs installed for easy access. No more getting sick!"

"I will be able to make several trips to the spring and still get time to study and play with my friends," Shaleen concluded. "Thank you for making it possible for us to access safe drinking water. God bless you all."

Preparing for Spring Protection

Community members worked together to source and carry all locally available construction materials to the spring. These included bricks, sand, stones, and fencing poles. Some people also chiseled away at large rocks to break them down into gravel. Because people have to carry most items by hand, the material-collection process can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.

When the community was ready, we sent a lorry to deliver the remaining construction materials, including cement, plastic tarps, and hardware. Then, our construction artisan and field officers deployed to the spring to begin work. Individual households provided meals throughout each day to sustain the work team.

From Open Source to Protected Spring: A Step-by-Step Process

At last, it was time to dig in at the spring! Locals lent their strength to the artisans to help with the manual labor.

First, we cleared and excavated the spring area. Next, we dug a drainage channel below the spring and several runoff diversion channels above and around the spring. These help to divert surface contaminants away.

To ensure community members could still access water throughout the construction process, we also dug temporary channels from the spring's eye around the construction site. This allowed water to flow without disrupting community members' tasks or the construction work.

Excavation created space for setting the spring's foundation, made of thick plastic tarp, wire mesh, concrete, and waterproof cement. After establishing the base, we started brickwork to build the headwall, wing walls, and stairs.

Once the walls had grown tall enough, we began one of the most crucial steps: setting the discharge pipe. The discharge pipe needs to be positioned low enough in the headwall so the water level never rises above the spring's eye, yet high enough to allow room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipe without making contact.

If we place the discharge pipe too high above the spring's eye, backpressure could force water to emerge elsewhere. Too low, and community members would not be able to access the water easily. We embedded the pipe using clay (or mortar when clay is in short supply) and placed it at an incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

In coordination with brickwork, we pitched stones on both sides of the spring's drainage channel. We then cemented and plastered each stone, forming the rub walls. These walls discourage people and animals from standing in that area, which could cause soil erosion and a clogged drainage area.

We then cemented and plastered both sides of the headwall and wing walls. These finishing layers reinforce the brickwork and prevent water in the reservoir from seeping through the walls. In turn, enough pressure builds in the reservoir box to push water out through the discharge pipe.

As the headwall and wing walls cured, we cemented and plastered the stairs and installed four tiles beneath the discharge pipe. The tiles protect the concrete from the falling water's erosive force while beautifying the spring and facilitating easy cleaning of the spring floor.

The final stage of construction is backfilling the reservoir box behind the discharge pipe. We cleared the collection box of any debris that may have fallen during construction. Then we redirected the temporary diversion channels back into the reservoir box, channeling water into this area for the first time. We closed off all of the other exits to start forcing water through the discharge pipe only.

We filled up the reservoir area with the large, clean stones community members had gathered, arranging them in layers like a well-fitting puzzle. We covered the rocks with a thick plastic tarp to minimize potential contamination sources, then piled enough dirt on top to compensate for future settling.

Community members transplanted grass onto the backfilled soil to help prevent erosion. Finally, the collection area was fenced to discourage any person or animal from walking on it. Compaction can lead to disturbances in the backfill layers and potentially compromise water quality.

The entire construction process took about two weeks of work and patience to allow the cement and plaster to finish curing. As soon as the spring was ready, people got the okay from our field officers to fetch water.

Training on Health, Hygiene, and More

Together with the community, we found their preferred date for training while considering other community calendar events, such as the agricultural season and social events. We requested a representative group of community members to attend training to relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

When the day arrived, facilitators Christine Masinde and David Machanja deployed to the site to lead the event. We expected 20 participants, but 26 people showed up, excluding children! They all wanted to get firsthand information and they were ready to share the acquired knowledge with their peers after the training.

We covered several topics, including community participation in the project, leadership and governance, personal and environmental hygiene, water handling and treatment, spring maintenance, dental hygiene, the ten steps of handwashing, disease prevention, and how to make and use handwashing stations.

During the leadership and governance session, we held an election for the newly formed water user committee leaders, who will oversee the maintenance of the spring. We also brainstormed income-generating activities. Community members can now start a group savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group, enabling them to develop small businesses.

"This training is very invaluable to me and my community as a whole," said Samuel Chiluka, a farmer and the chairman of the new water user committee.

"With proper practice of what has been taught, we will eliminate attacks from diseases related to hygiene and water like malaria, trachoma, typhoid, stomachache, and diarrhea, among others."

Samuel also remarked on the soap-making portion of the training. "[The] soap-making lesson was important too because, with clean water from the spring and soap, we are assured of keeping ourselves and the environment clean, which will improve our mental health and also self-esteem."

Handwashing was one of the most-discussed topics of the day. One of the participants stated that she now understands why, when everyone in the community was washing their hands frequently with soap and clean water during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of diarrhea and colds were reduced. She reported that since handwashing is no longer being exercised as diligently, such illnesses have increased again. She then encouraged other participants and the community at large to wash their hands frequently and properly to lead a healthy life and increase productivity in their community.

Another notable topic was when we taught community members how to maintain their new spring so as to maintain the quality and quantity of water from the spring and promote its sustainability. They promised to punish anyone who acted against the established rules and regulations. They also put in place a duty roster for each household to clean the spring.

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our partners, and the community members themselves. When an issue arises concerning the spring, the water user committee is equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our ongoing monitoring and maintenance program. We have an ongoing commitment to walk with each community, cooperatively problem-solving when they face challenges of any kind: with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. With all these components together, we strive to ensure enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.

With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

April, 2022: Sundulo Community Spring Protection Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Sundulo Community drains people’s time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!