Project Status



Project Type:  WAsH for Schools

Program: Water for Sierra Leone

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project was implemented by another partner, but is now monitored and maintained by The Water Project together with Mariatu's Hope.

A headman in the community stated, "That the community needed to stop grumbling about government not helping them. He said we are all human beings, all mortal man. It's time to change our attitude and care and work together and manage our time. If we don't work together we have a problem. The Water Project and their Sierra Leone partner have done something wonderful here for us. We say thank you today while we are alive, for the dead man will not talk from the grave."

When the team arrived, community members were utilizing other methods to gather water to meet their basic water needs. The community's use of other gathering methods and their practice of open defecation left the families suffering from cholera, dysentery, typhoid, malaria, among other water related illnesses. During the team’s stay, community members assisted the team with the water project, encouraged the team as they work, and provided any available materials, and provided food and security over the water project during the night. Most community members earn a living by working as teachers, petty traders and produce palm oil or coal to help provide for their families. There is not a school located near this community. Before leaving the community, the team provided community member J.J. Williams, with a contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.

During the Hygiene education, the Sierra Leone team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions. After hygiene education, community members constructed a fence around the well site to keep livestock and wild animals away from their clean water source.

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Project Type

WaSH for Schools is a comprehensive water program that includes a complete water source (a well) and complete sanitation facilities (latrines) for a school.  These larger scale projects ensure that the schools are equipped with a complete water and sanitation solution.  By combining a new water source with latrines and washing stations, the health improvements are often far more dramatic than a single water source would be.  Girls benefit the most as safety and dignity are restored, enabling them to attend school without interruptions.