February, 2023: Indulusia Community Spring Protection Complete!

Indulusia Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Chisaina 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.

"The reliability of safe, clean water would impact my life positively because there will be no more waste of time queuing because now the spring discharges highly," said Joseph Chisaina.

Joseph at the spring.

"As the oldest man in this community, my plan or goal is to ensure that my home hygiene and sanitation practice is highly improved because water is available all the time," Joseph continued. "Secondly, other community members also to improve their hygiene so they [keep diseases] at bay."

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

Victoria, right, fetches water with other girls.

"The availability of water from this water point would impact me in many ways," said 14-year-old Victoria L. "Firstly, by drinking safe clean water I [will] no longer be affected by water-related ailments. Secondly, [we will have] no [more] wastage of time queuing at the spring because now the spring is discharging highly, thus I [will] no longer be punished by my mother for going to fetch water for a long time."

Victoria.

"My plan is to improve in hygiene practices because water would be available all the time and also the knowledge gained during the training would help me a lot. Secondly, in [my] academic performance, my mom promised that she would no longer send me to the water point to fetch water on weekdays because there be no more queuing, thus she will be fetching water, which [will] help me to concentrate on my studies."

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.

Community members bring stones to the construction site.

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

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.

Backfilling with stone.

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 their local field officers to fetch water.

We officially handed over the spring to mark the community's ownership of the water point. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions. Everyone gathered at the spring to say a prayer of thanks, and some community children even recited a poem they'd learned in school to mark the occasion.

"[The] implementation of Chisaina Spring was a dream for many community members," said our field officer, Nelly. "They were all very grateful to [us]. An old-aged woman gave a word of prayer for the almighty God to bless [everyone] for protecting their spring."

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 and relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

When the day arrived, facilitators Jonathan and Nelly deployed to the site to lead the event. 32 people attended the training, including 20 women and 12 men. We held the training at under a shade tree at Mr. Chisaina's homestead.

Joseph speaks during 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.

Watching soap being made.

The participants' favorite topic was soap-making, during which they took detailed notes on the ingredients and method. This turn of events was particularly interesting to our facilitators because participants started the handwashing lesson by asking why anyone would need to use soap while washing their hands. After a lesson on bacteria and how soap cleans hands, everyone agreed that washing with soap was much better, and therefore they were eager to understand how it was made in order to keep a steady supply in their households.

"The training has impacted me positively," said 52-year-old Victoria Luvisha. "I have gained important information, especially about hygiene practices, which I have never known at all. I really appreciate and promise to pass on all that we have learned to my sister and brother so as to improve the hygiene and sanitation practices in every household. Secondly, about the maintenance of the spring, I would ensure that what we have learned has been practiced for the spring to serve [us] for a long period of time."

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, 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 their local field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for 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. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!

Thank you for making all of this possible!

January, 2023: Indulusia Community Spring Protection Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Indulusia 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!