Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2017

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/06/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Mayaya Village was founded by the Bullomite Tribe, and was an affluent area. Elaborate, fenced homes were built up for large families. Since then, Mayaya Village has been taken over by the Susu Tribe. The previously impressive homes are now barely standing, yet are still inhabited by hundred of people. The Susu people living here rely on farming and fishing to earn their daily bread.

Amidst sprawling land, there's a swamp that serves the people of Mayaya Village. Lots of activity goes on here. Most people bring jerrycans to fetch water, wading in knee deep and dunking the container. Many others bring their laundry to clean and then bathe after its done. The swamp's water is contaminated by soap, dirty clothes, and dirty people. Debris is visibly floating in the water.

The consequences of drinking this water are devastating, but locals have no other option. Diarrhea is a daily condition that accompanies rampant waterborne disease.

When this project is funded, Mayaya Village will receive a new well that will provide clean, adequate drinking water.

Water Situation

During our visit to the swamp, we observed little boys playing in the water before bringing it back home to their families. These small children and women are those most responsible for fetching water, but little do they know that their daily habits contribute to drinking water contamination. Not only do locals need a clean water source, but they need to learn how fetching, transporting, and storing water must be done properly to ensure its safety.

The consequences of drinking this swamp water are devastating. People suffer from diarrhea on a daily basis, and nobody is a stranger to waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid.

There is also a well that often breaks down and needs repair. With the recent construction plans for a main road, community leadership has been informed that the well is marked for demolition. Even if it is not shut down, this well is already too little for a community of over two thousand people, and the long lines have forced women and children to abandon their wait and walk to the swamp. This well cannot efficiently serve this large population.

Sanitation Situation

Less than half of households have their own pit latrine. The pit is dug to about ten feet deep with a large slab of concrete with a hole suspended over the top. The pits are even lined with plastic, making these some of the better latrines we've seen. This is because the community was affluent when it was first established. The families that don't have their own latrine usually share with their neighbor.

This area was hit hard by Ebola, which changed the mindset of those who survived. Many of the survivors now understand the importance of washing hands and bathing on a regular basis, so we ran into over a dozen hand-washing stations during our visit. Many of these even had a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.

Households dispose of their garbage down at the wharf. When it piles up too high, it is burnt and later used as fertilizer in gardens.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Training will last for three hours a day for three days. The facilitators have already assessed sanitation here and decided that hand-washing and using the latrine will be strongly emphasized. Though quite a few hand-washing stations were observed during our initial visit, we require that each and every family have their own place to wash their hands. During our hand-washing sessions, community members will be taught how to make their own hand-washing station out of a plastic jerrycan, sticks, and rope. These are the best solution for rural areas, since all the materials are all easily replaceable. Though pit latrines in this community are well-built, we also require that every family have their own.

Training will also result in the formation of a water user committee that will take responsibility for their new well. The members will manage and maintain the pump to the best of their ability, and will call our office if they need a mechanic to make a repair.

Plans: New Borehole Well

The proposed location for this borehole is in an open field where it is least likely to be contaminated. There is an old school building on this field, but the school has since moved to another area of the village. This new well will be in a location opposite to the side that already has a well, providing equal water access for all community members that previously needed it.

The borehole will be drilled with an LS200 hydraulic rig, and the well will be installed with an India Mark II pump.

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Mayaya Village

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a well for the Balaya Street community in Lungi Town, Sierra Leone. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Madieu Turay, with you.




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: Mayaya Village

December, 2017

This project did not give water only and leave, they also taught the community how to take care of their homes and families and also how to avoid disease transmission.

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Mayaya Village.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Mayaya Village 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!

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a well for the Balaya Street community in Lungi Town, Sierra Leone. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Madieu Turay, with you.


The people of Sierra Leone have faced an onslaught of health threats.  Madieu Turay shares, "Over the previous years during the raining season, there was a lot of sickness cases in this community like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, malaria, stomachache and even Ebola as well." But Madieu has witnessed a change in this community that he attributes to the health and sanitation training along with the access to clean water, announcing, "we are observing no sickness like those I have mentioned above."

Alusine Sumah

Alusine Sumah, a chairperson in the community also notes the freedom that many have found from the illnesses listed above, which he sees a direct result of fetching water from a well instead of an open swamp.

Emma Summah

Emma Summah, age 17, notes how the water well has opened up time since she is not getting water from the swamp for drinking, laundry, and cooking. Emma confidently reports, "I have never been late to school since the coming of this project in our community."

While this well has had a tremendous impact in the community, Alusine conveys an ongoing need for clean water and sanitation in the area, pointing to overcrowding at the water point and the need for more hygiene and sanitation training.  Because of Mariatu’s Hope’s ongoing commitment to walk alongside these communities, and because of the knowledge and strength of people within these communities, we are confident that people on Balaya Street will continue to experience health where once there was sickness.


While it may seem like one project is just a drop in the bucket, the people on Balaya Street know the vast seas of impact that clean flowing water can bring.  We are excited to stay in touch with this community and to report the good news as they continue on their journey with clean water.

The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.


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 Mayaya Village 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 Mayaya Village – 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 - Jonah Development Corp.