Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Rwanda

Impact: 361 Served

Project Phase: 
Community Managed
Implementing Partner Monitoring Data Unavailable
Initial Installation: Jul 2012

Project Features


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Community Profile

Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...

When the LWI Rwanda team arrived, community members were utilizing a river located half of a kilometer away from the community to meet their most immediate water needs. Because of this, families were suffering from malaria, diarrhea and severe dehydration. The community’s use of a covered pit latrine will help prevent further spread of disease in the area. During the team’s stay, community members assisted the team with the water project whenever possible and provided any materials they had available. Most community members earn a living by farming and selling what excess produce they have at nearby markets. Before leaving the community, the team provided a community member and farmer with a LWI Rwanda contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.

The LWI Rwanda team had an opportunity to meet with twenty-five year old community member and farmer, Emmanuel Bonane, who stated, "We have been using dirty water from a swamp close to the rice farms. Our new water source has clean water free from fertilizers."

During the hygiene education, the LWI Rwanda team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions.

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Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!