May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Nelson Mandela School
Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.
We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to schools like Nelson Mandela School in Sierra Leone
We trained people on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19.
With distancing and/or small groups: Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.
We began training communities before the first reported case of COVID-19 in the country and before the government enacted public health guidance related to it. We worked with trusted community leaders and Water User Committees to gather community members for the training. Although community members did not observe social distancing during the training, we sensitized them on its importance and effectiveness in combating the spread of the virus.
We covered essential hygiene lessons:
- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station
- Proper handwashing technique
- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing
- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.
We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:
- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19
- What social distancing is and how to practice it
- How to cough into an elbow
- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.
- How to make and properly wear a facemask.
During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point.
Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.
We continue to stay in touch with this community as the pandemic progresses. We want to ensure their water point remains functional and their community stays informed about the virus.
Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention. You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.
February, 2020: Lokomasama, Musiya, Nelson Mandela Secondary School Project Complete!
We are excited to share that there is a safe, reliable borehole well at Nelson Mandela Secondary School. The students and community members no longer have to rely on unsafe water to meet their daily needs. We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training, which focused on healthy practices such as handwashing and using latrines.
New Well
The drilling of this new borehole was a success and clean water is flowing!
"This is a great blessing for this school and community. I was very tired of having our children still drinking water from the swamp," said teacher Foday Ali Kamara.
"We are forever grateful to the people that donated the money and the staff that implemented the project. They have saved a lot of lives."
The school has set up a water user committee made up of 9 members. The members were elected by a 51% majority of community people. This committee is made up of teachers and community elders with women and men sharing leadership roles. The water user committee is going to hold monthly meetings with all community members to update them on all funds collected monthly.
The school's Head Girl and Head Boy celebrate the clean water
The water point was dedicated on a Friday afternoon. The dedication was witnessed by the village elders, chief, and council representative. The students also participated in the dedication and carried the news back to their parents. The Head Girl and the Head Boy gave thanks to all of the people for the implementation of this project.
The Process
Our team deployed to the Nelson Mandela Secondary School in Musiya Village and were given a classroom as living quarters for the duration of their visit.
2 pits were dug next to the drill rig, 1 for the drill’s water supply and another for what was pulled back up out of the borehole. Since the community already struggles with finding enough water, we ordered a private supplier to deliver the water we needed for drilling.
Students carry water for drilling
Day 1 of drilling started with filling the 2 pits with water mixed with bentonite. A 4-inch carbide-tipped bit was fixed to the 5-foot-long drill stem. The mud pump was started to supply water to the drill rig and the drilling starts. During drilling, after every 5-foot length of drill stem put into the hole the team would take material samples. The bags were labeled 1, 2, 3, and so on. These are to be reviewed later to determine the aquifer locations.
The second day of drilling was meant to expand the hole and clear it of mud. The team reached a total depth of 14.24 meters.
The team forcefully pumped clean water into the well to clear out any mud and debris from drilling. After, the filter pack was added so that the screened pipe would be protected. The temporary drilling casing was hoisted out so that we could fortify the pipes with cement.
The well was bailed by hand for 3 days before doing a yield test to verify the water quantity, which ended up being 40 liters per minute at a static water level of 9.09 meters.
With these great results, a stainless steel India MkII pump was installed. Water quality tests show that this is clean water fit for drinking!
New Knowledge
The parents and legal guardians were happy to be invited to the school for a hygiene training. The mention of the water well rekindled their interest in their children receiving clean water. The parents, teachers, students, and other community members were out in full force to make sure that clean water would finally be available year-round.
Before any hygiene training, repeated phone calls and visits were made to the committee to help them understand the challenges and lack of sanitation facilities in the community. The findings from our baseline survey were brought to the attention of the water user committee to help them make the necessary adjustments before the training or drilling could commence. When all the necessary and required guidelines were met, then and only then did our team of hygiene trainers go to conduct the training.
More than 250 students and community members were in attendance for the 3 days of training. The large crowd was seated outside under the shaded palm trees lined behind the school. The beautifully trimmed palm trees provided the best palm oil and also a shady environment for the children to spend most of their time during their lunch hour.
Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy-taps; good and bad hygiene; disease transmission and prevention; worms and parasites; proper care of teeth; proper care of the pump; keeping the water clean; the cost recovery system; dishracks and clotheslines; the importance of toilets; keeping the latrine clean; balanced diets; diarrhea doll; and HIV and AIDS.
During the oral hygiene training, laughter erupted when the hygiene team pulled out a large set of teeth and a giant toothbrush. The tooth and gum mold is used to teach people the proper way of brushing teeth. People quickly turned serious when they learned about the importance of oral care, especially for the children who still have all of their teeth!
In another activity, we used posters to help illustrate disease transmission. People were split into groups to work together to map out how diseases can spread from one person to another. The lack of proper sanitation and hygiene facilities are the main contributors to the disease transmission that is continually affecting all corners of the country. Examples of the effects are the recent Cholera and Ebola epidemics in Sierra Leone.
"The training has made us aware of certain things that will change our lives in more ways than one. The disease transmission starts with poor handwashing and sanitation facilities," said Mohamed Turay, a teacher at the school.
"Handwashing stations are going to be placed all over the school compound and also at my home. I have to lead by example. The children and parents look up to teachers as trendsetters in all areas of life and education."
Thank you for making all of this possible!
Rehabilitation Project
