Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 850 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Oct 2021

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 10/24/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Mohamed S. Turay, Reporting Officer

The first building that greets you upon entering the most popular street in Masoila is the Central Mosque. The mosque was once isolated, but it has now become the center of the community as it is one of the largest and most sought-after mosques in the region. The Central Mosque is a favorite to many because of where it is located. For years, the Central Mosque stood with not many neighbors, but the recently skyrocketing land prices in the area caused owners to sell and allow for more development.

Houses are lined along the road leading to the Mosque. Shops used to sell anything from food to household items are found along the way. The Mosque compound is large with enough space to accommodate traveling worshippers.

Rapid expansion is putting pressure on the Masoila community. Some 850 people live near and attend the mosque. The community that once was wide open with ample farmland is now crowded. People now make a living as petty traders or by working at the nearby airport.

The Mosque currently depends on the well at # 3 Kamara Street as their only reliable source of water. Many people depending on this water point makes it all the more difficult for people from the Mosque to have an equal time at the well.

"Water plays a great role in making sure a worshipper is cleansed before worshipping Allah. I am always asking for volunteers to bring water into the Mosque. Sometimes, the only option is to pay. The lack of safe access to water is preventing the final transformation of our place of worship to the completed phase, which is to be hailed by all," said Alhaji Mohamed Tejan Kamara, the President of the Mosque.

A few years back, the Kamara Street well was affected by seasonal changes in the water table until we converted it into a borehole, which now serves the community without any signs of letting up. The lingering problem that needs to be addressed is the need for another source of water at the mosque. The people who live here and who attend the mosque are placing pressure on the Kamara Street well - leading to longer lines to fetch water for all. The seasonal changes related to climate change are also drying up other hand-dug wells in the community, thus creating more pressure on the deeper wells like the one at Kamara Street.

A new well at the mosque will provide a year-round source of water to the people living nearby. As a result, it will reduce pressure on other wells in the area.

What we can do:

New Well

We will be drilling is centrally located and will relieve many people of the long journey to fetch water. This project will relieve the people here of their water challenges.

Our team will drive over the LS200 mud rotary drill rig and set up camp for a couple of nights. Once the well is drilled to a sufficient water column, it will be cased, developed, and then tested. If these tests are positive, our mechanics will install a new India Mark II pump.

This community has been pushed to open contaminated well for their water. By drilling this borehole, the well will provide Masoila Community with plenty of accessible clean drinking water.

Training

We will offer hygiene and sanitation training sessions for three days in a row. Community members will learn how to make a hands-free handwashing station called the "tippy-tap." We will use these tippy taps for handwashing demonstrations and will also teach about other tools like dish racks and the importance of properly penning in animals. We will highlight the need to keep restrooms clean, among many other topics.

This training will also strengthen a water user committee that will manage and maintain this new well. They will enforce proper behavior and report to us whenever they need our help in solving a serious problem, like a pump breakdown.

Project Updates


October, 2021: Lungi, Masoila, Central Mosque Well Complete!

We are excited to share that there is a safe, reliable borehole well at Masoila's Central Mosque. As a result, the 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!

"I am a resident of the Masoila Community, a worshiper of the Masoila Central Mosque, and a student of the Quranic learning group of Masoila Central Mosque," said Hasanatu, a 15-year-old student.

Hasanatu pumping water.

"Water is important to me because it is good to use water to clean myself before entering the Mosque to do anything. This water point has made it easy for me to get water to do ablutions for prayer. I will no longer take the risk to go across the street to fetch water for the Mosque. I can reserve my energy for other activities."

Alhaji Mohamed Kamara, the mosque's imam (person who leads prayer), explained what makes a reliable source of water so important for them. "Islamic religion is a practice that needs sufficient clean water to perform most of the functions. Without [it], it is difficult to do prayer. Masoila Central Mosque has a place to wash dead bodies before prayer and burial. We need enough water to perform that as well."

Mohamed (center, front) celebrates at the well.

"I believe the struggle in having that done has ended," Mohamed continued. "The mosque can now do all its functions with no struggle in accessing water because this water facility can serve those purposes. There is no longer a delay to get water for ablutions because this new borehole is at the doorstep of the mosque, which can be easily accessed in a short time."

To hand over the well to the mosque worshippers, we held a dedication ceremony, which was attended by the heads of the mosque and several local dignitaries.

The Imam of the Masoila Central Mosque thanked Allah (God), all those present, and appreciated our good works in bringing them safe and reliable water. Then, the representative from the Ministry of Water Resources (Mr. Osman Fofanah) commended us again and also urged the beneficiaries to handle the facility with great care. The Evaluation Officer from Port Loko District Council (Mr. Abubakarr Bangura) followed suit.

The Process

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

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

Day one of drilling began with the team filling the two pits with water mixed with bentonite, an absorbing, swelling clay. Next, the team fixed a four-inch carbide-tipped bit to the five-foot-long drill stem. They started the mud pump to supply water to the drill rig so that drilling could begin!

The team took material samples after putting each five-foot length of drill stem into the hole. We labeled the bags so we could review them later to determine the aquifer locations.

On the second day of drilling, the team expanded the hole and cleared it of mud. After reaching a total depth of 25 meters, the team forcefully pumped clean water into the well to clear any mud and debris from the drilling process. We then protected the screened pipe by adding a filter pack. The team hoisted the temporary drilling casing to fortify the pipes with cement.

Next, we bailed the well by hand for three days before conducting a yield test to verify the water quantity. This well has a static water level of 13 meters. With these excellent results, we installed a stainless steel India MkII pump.

Water quality test results showed that this is clean water fit for drinking!

New Knowledge

Before conducting any hygiene training, we made repeated phone calls and visits to the local water user committee to understand better the community’s challenges and lack of sanitation facilities. We shared the findings from our discussions with the committee members to help them make the necessary adjustments before the training began. For example, we identified households without handwashing stations or ones that may need to repair their latrines. With this information, community members worked together to improve hygiene and sanitation at home.

After this preparatory period, we scheduled a time when members from each household using the water point could attend a multi-day hygiene and sanitation training. We then dispatched our teams to the mosque to hold the meeting.

For each of the days on which we held the training, we began the sessions after 2:00 pm prayers. The people asked team members to cover their heads as it is part of the doctrines of their religion, which we happily did. Over the three days, we trained 126 participants, who promised that they would share their new knowledge with other community members. The new Water User Committee (of which Imam Mohamed is the chairperson) also said they would perform refresher trainings for those in the community who could not attend.

Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps, good and bad hygiene habits, disease transmission and prevention, worms and parasites, dental hygiene, proper care of the well's pump, keeping the water clean, the cost recovery system, dish racks and clotheslines, the importance of toilets, keeping latrines clean, balanced diets, the diarrhea doll, and HIV and AIDS.

Hand washing was the most memorable topic, with an unbelievable interactive session. Everyone settled down with smiles on their faces as they marveled at the construction of the tippy taps. They then rushed to wash their hands from the newly constructed tippy taps. Some of the participants found it very interesting to see a one-gallon jug transformed into a handwashing station using local materials that are easily affordable.

Someone from the crowd shouted that our trainers knew how to perform ablutions more than even some Muslims and everyone laughed. Alhaji Mohamed Kamara explained how important hand washing is to the Islamic religion. He said that cleanliness is next to Godliness, and handwashing, being part of their religion, is the first step one must take.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




October, 2021: Lungi, Masoila, Central Mosque Borehole Well Project Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Masoila drains people’s time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

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

(This was originally written August 31st and due to a systems error, this alert is just now being posted: 10/6/2021.)




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!


A Year Later: "We are so happy for this development"

February, 2023

A year ago, your generous donation helped Masoila Community in Sierra Leone access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Assanatu. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Masoila Community 4.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Masoila Community 4 maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

Before a new well was installed in the Masoila Community, people, especially children, found it difficult to find sufficient water to meet their daily needs.

"It was not easy for us, the children, as most times we are sent by our parents to go and fetch water for the mosque. The distance is far off from the mosque, and the place we used to fetch water most times [was] overcrowded. This sometimes made us late [for] school. We were finding it difficult to get sufficient water to perform our obligatory prayers and other Islamic practices such as personal hygiene—especially we, the girls," said 18-year-old Assanatu K.

Since the new well was implemented, though, water is more accessible, and things have changed for the better.

"Now we are not going far distances to fetch water, and we are not going to school late again. We are having sufficient, safe water for drinking, praying, and performing other Islamic practices that require water. We are so happy for this development," Assanatu said.

Assanatu with Alhaji Kamara, Chairperson of the Water User Committee.

Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Masoila Community 4 maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Masoila Community 4 – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


Contributors

Project Underwriter - Killah B
Amazon Smile
Fishing Creek Baptist Church
Lebrusan studio
The Clorox Company
The Hartford employee match
34 individual donor(s)