Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Rwanda

Impact: 500 Served

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

Project Features


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Community Profile

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

LWI Rwanda's Sustainability Coordinator with the District Engineer selected this site. They picked the site due to high needs of clean water in this community. The leader of the village is the one in charge of the well under the supervision of the cell. LWI personnel together with the community discussed how they should setup the water committee and manage the well by collecting money in the case of repairing this hand pump at some point later on. The area does not have electricity yet so the community did not make any commitments to upgrade the pump to submersible later on. The testimony of the well is how the people were thanking God due to clean water and the interview person talked about how the kids were getting sick caused by the dirty water and thankful to the people providing this clean water. Community members were suffering from malaria, diarrhea and severe dehydration among other preventable water related illnesses. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a water committee consisting of one man and two women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible. Most community members sustain their families by farming or by teaching at the nearby school.

The LWI Rwanda team had an opportunity to meet with forty-five year old community member and farmer, Francine Zanika, who stated, "The new water is very clean compared with the old one because people were getting diseases due to the bad water. Now this is helpful to the people in this village we are happy and many thanks to God and the people providing water for us."

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 Photos


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!


The new water is very clean compared with the old one because people were getting diseases due to the bad water. Now this is helpful to the people in this village we are happy and many thanks to God and the people providing water for us.

Francine Z - Farmer