Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
When the Living Water Rwanda team arrived, 108 families were dependent on a stream located a kilometer outside the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this, families were suffering from diarrhea and severe dehydration among other preventable water related illnesses. The community's use and construction of a pit latrine with a slab, VIP latrines, and pit latrines will help prevent further spread of disease in the area. Most residents farm to sustain their families and a few are able to sell excess produce at nearby markets. There is a community center and Adventist and Protestant churches in the community whose staff and congregation now all have access to a safe water source. The Living Water Rwanda team empowered the local churches to continue sharing the Gospel in the community as it relates to safe drinking water. Equipping the church to take ownership of the project creates a sustainable evangelical presence in the community. The community established a water committee and community health club who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible, supplied any materials they had available, and provided meals for the team. This water committee is also responsible for helping maintain the well after the team leaves the area and was provided with a Living Water Rwanda contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, or become subject to vandalism or theft. There are three other NGOs working in the area: Care International, SNV, and Compassion International. These NGOs are working to provide family planning, social economics, education, and social assistance.
There were 63 people who attended hygiene training. During the training, community health workers shared, emphasizing latrine perception and hand washing facilities, as they are a major communal challenge. Using the Living Water Traditional Method, the following principle issues were addressed: Disease Transmission, Hand Washing - Proper Techniques and Water Saving Methods, Latrine Perception, HIV/AIDS, Living Well Club Bible Stories, Clean Hands Clean Hearts, and Proper Care of the Pump. Tippy Taps were constructed for household use and a pit latrine with a slab was built by the community. After training, the local leaders resolved to tackle hand washing and latrine coverage issues in the cell, again emphasizing their importance and relevance to disease prevention and healthy routines in the community.
The Living Water Rwanda team had the opportunity to meet with forty-seven year old community member and subsistence farmer, Alphonse Bioziyarenye, who stated, "This water is very near and safe and the previous water was undoubtedly unsafe and very far. We have been using dirty water for household use for a long time but we are grateful this is coming to an end courtesy of this new well."
