February, 2023: Laminaya Community New Well Complete!
We are excited to share that there is now a safe, reliable borehole well at Laminaya Community. As a result, community members no longer 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.
"I want to say thanks to [you] for the new well in my community. For the past years, I fetched swamp water, and this water is not safe for drinking because the water contains dirt. But I had no choice because it was the only water source that is available in the community. Today, I have a new well in my community, and I will not drink contaminated water anymore," said 22-year-old trader Mariatu Bangura.
Mariatu (in green) celebrates clean water.
"Before, I struggled to fetch water in the community. I only [had] access to the swamp water, but this source is located far from my house. Every morning I must walk to the stream before going to school, and then I am usually late for school. I must bathe in the stream water, and after that, I must fetch water and then return home. This water is not safe to drink, and when I drank this water, I experienced waterborne disease. This situation affects my health status," said 13-year-old Amara K.
Amara collecting water.
"But today I am happy because a new well is in my village, which is provided by [you]. This water source will impact my life because I will not [be in] contact with waterborne disease. Thanks to the donors," concluded Amara.
We held a dedication ceremony to officially hand over the well to the community members. Several local dignitaries attended the ceremony, including representatives from Ward 245, the Port Loko District Council, and the Ministry of Water Resources. Each official gave a short speech thanking everyone who contributed to this water project and reminding everyone to take good care of it. Then, Mariatu and Amara made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.
New Well
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 and meals for the duration of their stay. The following day, 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 challenging.
Day one of drilling began as the team mixed water with bentonite, an absorbent clay, in the two dug pits. 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!
After putting each five-foot length of drill stem into the hole, the team took material samples. We labeled the bags to review them later and 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 18 meters, the team forcefully pumped clean water into the well to remove any dirt 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 10 meters. With these excellent results, we installed a stainless steel pump. Water quality test results showed that this was clean water fit for drinking!
New Knowledge
Before conducting any hygiene training, we called and visited the local water user committee to understand 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.
We also invited a nurse from the local clinic to help explain some topics and spread awareness about Sierra Leone's free vaccinations for children under five. She was instrumental in reinforcing each lesson.
After this preparatory period, we scheduled a time when members from each household using the water point could attend a three-day hygiene and sanitation training. We then dispatched our teams to the agreed-upon location to hold the meeting.
Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps, good and bad hygiene habits, disease transmission and prevention, COVID-19, worms and parasites, proper dental hygiene, proper care of the well's pump, keeping the water clean, the cost recovery system, the importance of using dish racks and clotheslines, the importance of toilets, keeping latrines clean, balanced diets, the diarrhea doll, and HIV and AIDS.
Teaching proper hand washing.
Field Officer Alie Kamara explained further about the participants' most interesting topic during the training related to child healthcare.
"This lesson became so interesting for the participants," said Alie. "Nurse Fatmata Sesay, who happened to be the one presenting this lesson, emphasized the importance of taking children to the health facility when they get sick instead of giving them local herbs, which would not even cure the health condition of the child."
Mariatu Kamara (quoted earlier), who is a lactating mother, explained her own experience with medical treatment. "I delivered at home a baby boy. After two weeks, the baby started crying, and his body temperature got warm. As a result, we were having sleepless nights because the child and I [were] unable to sleep. I became worried because of my baby’s condition. I went to my mother in the next village and explained to her, and she took the baby to a native doctor, and they started giving the baby some herbs to drink. This continued for months, and the condition of the baby got worse day by day. I was just crying. I didn’t know what to do."
She continued: "I called my husband. Immediately he came and saw the baby’s condition, and he asked us to take the baby to the health facility. At first, I refused since I still rely on the native herbs as a remedy. [But] due to persuasion, I agreed. When we reached the health facility, the nurse conducted tests. In the end, the diagnosis was [a] severe cold and malaria. Proper treatment was given to the baby, the baby recovered, and we are all happy."
At the end of her statement, she advised the rest of the participants to always take their children to the health facility when they get sick.
"This new knowledge I have gained from the training is very much valuable to me. Because this new knowledge has impacted me to change my hygiene lifestyle and the importance of visiting the clinic when I get sick, or my kids. What I have learned from the three days of hygiene training, I believe if I put [it] into practice, it will help me to save my life," concluded Mariatu.
Conclusion
This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members themselves. When an issue arises concerning the well, community members are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact their local field officers to assist them.
Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.
With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!
Thank you for making all of this possible!
Rehabilitation Project
