February, 2021: Lokomasama, Rotain Village Project Complete!

We are excited to share that there is a safe, reliable borehole well at Rotain Village. 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!

"We have been complaining and asking for help for a very long time. Access to clean and safe water for this community will greatly improve our health situation in the village. As a youth leader, all activities that come through my village must come through me. I am very happy for the good deed these angels of mercy have accomplished. There are no words to describe our gratitude," shared Gbassay Kamara, a farmer who lives near the well.

The celebration started on the day the pump was installed. For more than twenty years, the community has lived without a clean and safe source of water. The only hand-dug water point had been non-functional for that entire tire, and this is the first time a borehole has ever been dug in this village.

People from the neighboring villages as well as the community were all present for the handing over ceremony. The area's Councilor, regent chief, and scores of other people prayed, laughed, and sang songs together, giving thanks to the Almighty. The Councilor and headman gave thanks to our team for the tireless efforts we made through thick and thin to ensure the project was successful.

"This well will help me achieve good health by drinking safe water, and I will no longer be late for school by walking long distances in search of water. I will now launder my uniform with clean water easily at any time I come home from school," said student Mariatu.

The Process

The drill team arrived the day before beginning work. They set up camp and unpacked all of their tools and supplies to prepare for drilling the next day. The community provided space for them to store their belongings and meals for the duration of their stay. The next morning, we began work.

Due to events out of our control, the borehole drilling had to be repeated at a different location because the initial drilling was not successful. On the first attempt, the team encountered a rock that they could not penetrate. If turned into a well as deep as the rock, the well would not yield sufficient and clean water. So, we had to condemn the first site and choose a new location just across the street. This location proved successful for the drill team, and so the work continued.

The team dug two pits next to the drill rig, one for the drill’s water supply and another for what is pulled out of the borehole. In some cases, we order a private supplier to deliver the water for drilling since water access is already a struggle.

Day one of drilling starts by filling the two pits with water mixed with bentonite. A four-inch carbide-tipped bit is fixed to the five-foot-long drill stem. The mud pump starts to supply water to the drill rig, and the drilling begins. The team takes a material sample after every five-foot length of drill stem is put into the hole. The bags were labeled and reviewed later to determine the aquifer locations.

On the second day of drilling, the team expands the hole and clears it of mud. The team reached a total depth of 28 meters.

The team forcefully pumps clean water into the well to clear out any mud and debris from drilling. After, the screened pipe is protected by adding a filter pack. The team hoists the temporary drilling casing to fortify the pipes with cement.

The well is bailed by hand for three days before conducting a yield test to verify the water quantity. This well's yield was 20 liters per minute, at a static water level of 18 meters.

With these great results, we installed a stainless steel India MkII pump. Water quality tests show that this is clean water fit for drinking!

New Knowledge

In this area of Sierra Leone, it is always the best approach to work with the water user committee, local village head, or village chief, and to seek the Councilor's involvement in any particular ward when organizing a training. Our hygiene and sanitation team and community engagement team made several visits and phone calls to the community and water use committee before training to understand better the community’s challenges and lack of sanitation facilities.

We brought the findings from our baseline survey to the committee’s attention to help them make the necessary adjustments before the training or drilling could commence. When all the required guidelines were met, only then did our team of hygiene trainers go to conduct the training.

The committee provided the best time and venue for training that would result in the biggest training turnout possible while observing COVID-19 event regulations. The hygiene team made a special visit to notify each household within the community to provide a bamboo stick that would be used as a training tool. That information quickly sparked their interest, and every member of the community promised to be present or send a representative.

The community was already involved in a village savings and loan program with weekly meetings in a large structure. However, to best meet COVID-19 guidelines, we agreed to host the training outside next to the second well that is to be rehabilitated since sitting in a well-ventilated environment is the best practice right now.

There are a total of 90 households in this community. Almost every household sent a representative each day of the three days of training. Due to the urgency in dealing with farm and livelihood issues, some community people were unable to attend since this is the time of year when farmers have to pay close attention to their crops.

Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps; good and bad hygiene; disease transmission and prevention; worms and parasites; proper care of teeth; adequate care of the pump; keeping the water clean; the cost recovery system; dish racks and clotheslines; the importance of toilets; keeping the latrine clean; balanced diets; the diarrhea doll; and HIV and AIDS.

"This is by far the most important training I have ever attended. Bamboo sticks were always used to dry clothes and places to sit. Having learned this new idea of using bamboo sticks to make handwashing stations has awakened my creative spirits," said Gbassay Kamara.

"I have not only learned that there are more uses of bamboo, but I will also look within our community to see if there are other local materials that we can use to improve our lifestyle in the village. I am very grateful for the knowledge, and we are now looking at ways of improving what we have been taught in training. All this training and provision of clean and safe water is done for our safety and wellbeing."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

January, 2021: Lokomasama, Rotain Village Underway!

Community members in Rotain Village do not have a reliable source for water. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point in the community and much more.

Get to know this community through the narrative and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with news of success!