Project Status



Project Type:  Well Rehab

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 596 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Sep 2021

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 01/02/2024

Project Features


Click icons to learn about each feature.



Targrin is the most populated community in the entire Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom with a total population of 13,000 people. The lack of access to clean and safe water here sends most people to other areas far into the community searching for a safe source. The sources of safe water, however, are scarce. Most water sources are contaminated with E. coli and other fecal coliforms.

There are more open and unprotected water wells in the community than protected hand-dug wells. Not only are people forced to venture into faraway communities for water, but the long and crowded lines always erupt into arguments and fights.

Every year, access to safe and clean water is getting harder to come by due to the effects of global warming. The sea levels are rising while deforestation is increasing all over the country. Women and children have to get up very early in the morning to fetch water to drink. There are some sources specifically reserved for drinking water, while other sources are reserved for water used in domestic chores such as bathing, laundry, cooking, and household cleaning. All children are required to bring water home, regardless of the distance they have to travel to do so.

The primary well for 596 people here is suffering in particular from the effects of overcrowding and climate change.

"Getting sufficient and clean water to drink is a very difficult thing to do in this community. The open and unprotected wells outnumber the protected hand-dug wells. Getting water to do other things like cooking, laundry, and bathing is not a hard task, but making sure water for drinking is fetched sufficiently is one of the hardest to achieve," explained Menta Gassama, the Chair of the community.

"I cannot begin to tell you how much we suffer to get clean and safe water to drink."

Tagrin community has a high rate of people suffering from waterborne illnesses due to poor water quality. During the rainy season, there are cases of diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, malaria, and typhoid, all due to the poor quality of water that people drink daily.

What we can do:

Well Rehabilitation

The well marked for this overhaul is dry for a few months every year and needs major work to supply adequate, clean water to the community year-round. The drill team will remove the pump, and a hand auger will be lowered inside and powered by a drill team. This hand auger will allow the team to drill several meters deeper to hit a sufficient water column to ensure the well supplies water throughout all seasons.

As the team drills, the casing will be installed, transforming the bottom of this hand-dug well into a borehole. PVC piping will connect this lower system directly to the pump, a set-up that we know will also improve the quality of water.

Solar pump and filter system

This system will use solar as its primary power source but will be backed up by batteries and a small generator. This system is designed to be maintained and repaired when needed with components that can be purchased locally.

This water distribution system will use several methods to purify the water. The water will be pumped from the well using a solar pump into an overhead 5,000-liter storage tank. Once the tank is full, it will be released by valve and then pass through a stainless steel #80 mesh filter. This filter can be cleaned and reused repeatedly. The larger particulate will be removed as the water transfers into a second 5,000-liter storage tank.

The water at this point will pass through two 20-inch bag filters. The first will filter down to ten microns, and the second will filter down to five microns.

The water will then pass through an ultraviolet system for treatment. The ultraviolet treatment has proven to remove 99.9% of bacterial contamination.

The water will be separated into two distribution lines. The first will be made available to the community for general use (washing clothes, cleaning, and bathing). The second line will flow through a sensor that activates a chlorinator. The proper amount of chlorine will be injected into the water. Injecting a small amount of chlorine into the water will disinfect the containers community members use to collect and store water. The free chlorine levels will be below WHO safe standards. This water will be available as drinking water.

Once this plan is implemented, everyone within the community will have access to safe drinking water, even through the dry months.

Training

Our team 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


September, 2021: Targrin, #1032 Airport Ferry Road Well Complete!

We are excited to share a safe, reliable water point at Targrin in Sierra Leone is now providing clean water to students and neighboring community members! We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training, which focused on healthy practices such as handwashing and using latrines.

"I found it hard to fetch water for my house," said 17-year-old Mariatu. "Sometimes I could not succeed to carry water home after a long stay at the well. My mother always accused me of being around with boys rather than putting effort to fetch water and return home early. I am happy now that this water point has brought a water source close to my house. It is easy to fetch without delay."

Mariatu at the well.

"Today is one of the best days in this community," said Fatmata Kasama, 31. "I must say thanks. I am happy because I now have safe water source that I can easily reach. I could not get safe water in this community, especially during the dry season. I had to buy bundles of packaged water. Now, I cannot hesitate to drink water from this well, because I am sure that it is pure to drink."

We held a dedication ceremony to officially hand over the rehabilitated well to the Targrin community members, which was attended by several local dignitaries, who all expressed their appreciation for the new source of reliable water for the community. Mariatu and Fatmata each made statements explaining why the well was so important to them. There was singing and dancing as well as a prayer session.

Osman Fofanah, from the Ministry of Water Resources, makes his statement.

Clean Water Restored

Originally, this site had been chosen for a solar borehole. However, when the drill team arrived and surveyed the area, they found that the soil was not the kind necessary for a solar set-up. Though the drill team returned twice with different drill bits in attempts to make a solar borehole work, they were forced to create just a borehole well, which will still supply plenty of water for the community members of Targrin.

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 the team to store their belongings, along with meals for the duration of their stay. The following day, the work began.

First, we raised the tripod, the structure we use to hold and maneuver each of the drilling tools. Next, we measured the well's original depth. We then socketed the pipes and installed a casing.

Finally, we lined up the drill rods and started to drill! We reached a final depth of 12 meters with water at 9 meters. The hand-drill method allowed the team to install the cylinder far below the aquifer so that the community has great water access throughout the year.

With drilling complete, we installed screening and a filter pack to keep out debris when the water is pumped. We then cemented an iron rod to the well lining and fixed it with an iron collar at the top. Next, we bailed the well by hand for three days and flushed it, clearing any debris generated by the drilling process. Finally, we tested the yield to ensure the well would provide clean water with minimal effort at the pump.

As the project neared completion, we built a cement platform, walls, and drainage system around the well to seal it off from surface-level contaminants. The drainage system helps to redirect runoff and spilled water to help avoid standing water at the well, which can not only be uncomfortable but unhygienic and a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

At last, we installed the stainless steel India Mk11 pump and conducted a water quality test. The 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 better 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.

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 agreed-upon location to hold the meeting.

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.

Attendance for the training was good - 68% of households were represented, with 203 participants in total.

Ramatu Kamara, a local teacher who attended the training, expressed her appreciation for the new knowledge. "It has come to my knowledge that many diseases we had been suffering from, especially cholera and diarrhea, are due to our poor hygiene practices. This training has helped broaden my knowledge on how to care for ourselves and [our] surroundings. A teacher like me who deals with tender-aged children needs these skills."

This community's most memorable topic was disease transmission. Some participants pointed out fellow community members who have poor hygiene practices. These outed individuals graciously accepted fault and promised to remember what they had been taught during the training. They will address open defecation in the community by buying or finding tins for children who are too young to use latrines, and parents will always keep them clean.

Participants demonstrate how a disease passes from one person to another.

Mohamed Bangura, an elderly member of the community, reminded his fellow community members how the previous outbreak of cholera killed thousands of people in the community due to their poor hygiene and sanitation. He reminded everyone that they are almost in the rainy season, when diseases like cholera, diarrhea, and dysentery are more prominent. He pleaded with his fellow community members to follow the advice of the training.

For her part, student Fatmata S. understood through the training to take COVID-19 seriously. "At first, I had no worries about the virus because I and other community members were never convinced about the reality of it. But through this training, I have heard some truth that triggered me to worry about this disease since I have learned how contagious it is. This training has served as an eye-opener to us in this community."

"Now, as a trader, I can easily fetch water from this well to do my domestic works early and go the market to sell my goods on time," said Fatmata Kasama.

"I am happy because I can now make more sales and realize more profit to support my family. It is quite simple now to fetch enough water from this well to clean my household material and the bath and latrine shelter."

Thank you for making all of this possible!




August, 2021: Lungi, Targrin, #1032 Airport Ferry Road Project Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Lungi 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!




Project Photos


Project Type

Well rehabilitation is one of the most cost effective ways to bring clean, safe water to a community.  Sometimes it involves fixing a broken hand pump, other times it means sealing a hand dug well to prevent it from being contaminated.  These repairs, and often time total replacements, coupled with sanitation and hygiene training make a huge impact in communities.


A Year Later: Water without hindrances!

January, 2023

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

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Targrin Community 2.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Targrin Community 2 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 we rehabilitated the community dug well in Targrin last year, it used to break down often and leave people searching for water from other open community sources.

"[When] this water facility was functional in this community, it was the only source of clean water. People came here from every angle to fetch water. The only challenge was that the handle of the pump and the pump itself were too heavy for us, especially for a child like me. It usually [would] break down because of the pressure it's used to have, and that was a challenging moment for me and, by extension, [for] the [other] people," said ten-year-old Isatu S.

But now that the well has been rehabilitated, everything functions properly, and accessing water has become much easier, even for children.

"I am very happy for the rehabilitation of this water facility in my community. The quality of the water has improved more than before, and the pump is very easy to pump, as you can see," Isatu said.

"I think coming [to] fetch [water] on time without no hindrance is a great achievement," concluded Isatu.

Isatu outside the well.


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 Targrin Community 2 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 Targrin Community 2 – 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 Sponsor - StossWater