Opportunists Industrialization Center

The 287 students and staff of the Opportunists Industrialization Center (OIC) face a daily water crisis. Similar to a technical school where students are trained in different careers to enhance their futures, the student's education and the school's success are at risk because they do not have access to sufficient water.

Field Officer Alimamy Lanin Kanu shared, "The main and the alternative water sources do not provide sufficient water for the institution. One person can walk over 500 meters to fetch water. The students may be tired due to the distance covered to fetch water. The main water source is seasonal. It gets dry for almost a year."

"It was initially a hand-dug well, but we converted it to a borehole (seen below). We drilled down as far as we could, but we hit a lot of clay and slush. We have conducted a hydrogeological survey and believe we have found a suitable sustainable location for a new borehole to alleviate this problem of lack of access to safe drinking water. The alternate water source is hard to access because it is in a compound and too far from the school," continued Alimamy.

This school has provided many students with the opportunity to succeed in many different fields, and their contribution to their community is crucial; however, as their water crisis worsens, fewer students are able to benefit from this school.

"The institution has different areas of study like electricity, plumbing, masonry, tailoring, and catering. The institution has produced many electricians, plumbers, tailors, and caterers within the community and the country. The establishment of this institution has improved the lives of many youth around the country," shared Alimamy Lamin Kanu.

This school is full of students who are passionate and hard-working. They strive to do well, knowing that a career is the only way to break the cycle of poverty, but they often have to use their energy and time to scrounge for water instead of learning.

16-year-old Hannah K., seen below, is familiar with the struggle. She said, "I am doing catering in this institution, [which] needs a lot of water. Every day we have practice, also on how to prepare food. It is always easy when we have sufficient water within the school premises, and the opposite always happens if there is a water crisis in the school premises. If at all I don't have water around, I may leave the class and go out and search for water."

"We have a well in the school, but it is not functioning properly. It gets dry from January to late September. In times like that, I brought water from home to drink. It is really difficult to carry or hold water from my house to this school, but I have no choice. The neighborhood sometimes does not allow us to fetch water from their water source. There are also people that come around to sell water to us. Some of us cannot afford [it], and [it's] not safe for drinking purposes. My friends and I may risk begging [for] water from the food vendors when thirsty. They may manage to give us [some] even though the water might not be safe, but we take the risk because we have no option," continued Hannah.

As Hannah said, for nine months of the year, they are forced to bring water from home or beg for water, which is questionable. The well in the community is distant and insufficient; sadly, access is sometimes restricted. Three months out of the year is the only time they have sufficient water. Their futures are on the line, and water is the first step to creating a brighter one.

Teacher Ibrahim Lukullay, 55, seen below, shares his student's passion and their burden. He said, "The problem of water in this institution had been upsetting me and the entire membership of this institution. If the well in the school is not functioning properly, I may boycott classes to go and search for water in the neighborhood. The learning process of the students will be affected because they have to wait until I come back. As a teacher, I need safe and pure water for drinking. I also need water for handwashing as it will help us to prevent diseases."

Hygiene is crucial to creating a good learning environment, but if students become ill because they can't wash their hands all day, they lose even more time from their education.

"This is the biggest challenge I [usually] face during the time of the water crisis: If I don't have sufficient water to clean the restroom, this will trigger me to search for water. Sometimes, the quantity of water I [have] may not be enough, and this will prevent me from using the restroom. If I risk using it when there is not sufficient water, it will create a bad smell within my premises."

"The students always search for water from other water sources that are not protected. They may consume contaminated water since there is no option and they need water. This could lead to waterborne disease," continued Field Officer Alimamy.

The installation of the well will enable students like Hannah to ignite their passion for learning, as the water crisis won't consume them. Teachers like Ibrahim will ease their worries about illness and hygiene, allowing them to focus on teaching.

"I, therefore, speak in the interest of my fellow students for a new borehole to be constructed in our school so we will [have] enough water to tackle all our problems when it comes to water," concluded Hannah.

The Proposed Solution, Determined Together...

At The Water Project, everyone has a part in conversations and solutions. We operate in transparency, believing it benefits everyone. We expect reliability from one another as well as our water solutions. Everyone involved makes this possible through hard work and dedication.

In a joint discovery process, community members determine their most advantageous water solution alongside our technical experts. Read more specifics about this solution on the What We're Building tab of this project page. Then, community members lend their support by collecting needed construction materials (sometimes for months ahead of time!), providing labor alongside our artisans, sheltering and feeding the builders, and supplying additional resources.

Water Access for Everyone

This water project is one piece in a large puzzle. In Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, we're working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources that guarantee public access now and in the future within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. One day, we hope to report that this has been achieved!

Training on Health, Hygiene & More

With the community's input, we've identified topics where training will increase positive health outcomes at personal, household, and community levels. We'll coordinate with them to find the best training date. Some examples of what we train communities on are:

• Improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits
• Safe water handling, storage & treatment
• Disease prevention and proper handwashing
• Income-generation
• Community leadership, governance, & election of a water committee
• Operation and maintenance of the water point

Project Updates

August, 2024: Opportunists Industrialization Center Well Complete!

We are excited to share that there is now a safe, reliable borehole well at Opportunists Industrialization Center. As a result, the students 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.

"This waterpoint will be a blessing in the lives of the students. It will positively [impact] their performance in the internal school exams as well as the external exam (National Vocational Certificate Award NCTVA). Students will now have enough water to use during hours of learning in the institution. This will prevent them from going out of the premises to fetch water. All this will help the students to have enough time to be in class and to pay attention rather than skipping classes to fetch water outside," said 60-year-old Ibrahim Lukullay.

Ibrahim at the new well.

"I will be able to always fetch water with ease during my time at school. Cleaning the classroom will no longer be a burden since water is available for this purpose. Even when I experience my menstruation, I now have the confidence that I will be able to use the school latrine and change due to the availability of water," 18-year-old Hannah shared.

Hannah at the new well.

We held a dedication ceremony to officially hand over the well to the community members. Several local dignitaries attended the ceremony, including representatives from 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, Ibrahim and Hannah made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

Celebration ceremony.

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 next day, the team began to drill. We reached a final depth of 30 meters. The team did a soil test and forcefully pumped clean water into the well to remove any dirt and debris from the drilling process.

Drilling begins!

Next, the team bailed the well and flushed it, clearing any debris generated by the drilling process. This well has a static water level of 16.6 meters. Finally, we tested the yield to ensure the well would provide clean water with minimal effort at the pump.

Yield test.

As the project neared completion, we built a cement platform, walls, and drainage system around the well to seal it from surface-level contaminants. The drainage system helps to redirect runoff and spilled water to help avoid standing water at the well, which can be uncomfortable and unhygienic and a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Constructing the walls.

At last, we installed the pump and conducted a water quality test. The test results showed that this was clean water fit for drinking!

The final step: Installing the pump!

New Knowledge

First, our hygiene team trained the teachers, who then shared the new lessons with the student body with our help.

Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps, good and bad hygiene habits, teen pregnancy, worms and parasites, proper dental hygiene, menstrual 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 disease transmission and prevention (including COVID-19, Ebola, Hepatitis, HIV and AIDS).

"I have learned a lot [about] how to take care of myself and the place I lived. The area that I saw [as] important that I often neglect, was handwashing. I saw the dangers of failing to wash our hands with clean water and soap. This alone is good to note down," Hannah shared when asked what impacted her the most in the training.

Hannah participated in the dental hygiene lesson.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members. 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 Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, we’re working toward complete coverage. That means 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!

June, 2024: Opportunists Industrialization Center Well Project Underway!

The lack of adequate water at Opportunists Industrialization Center costs students time, energy, and health every single day. Clean water scarcity contributes to community instability and diminishes individuals’ personal progress.

But thanks to your recent generosity, things will soon improve here. We are now working to install a reliable water point and improve hygiene standards. We look forward to sharing inspiring news in the near future!