Project Status



Project Type:  Well Rehab

Program: Water for Sierra Leone

Impact: 235 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.

General Information
The well rehab was at the school located in the Port Loko district of Sierra Leone. There are 235 students at this school, 135 boys and 100 girls. The pump had been spoiled for more than one year and they were accessing water with a rope and rubber. The old pump was pulled out. The cylinder and foot valve were disconnected with parts missing. The sucker rods and rising main were rusty. A new afridev pump was installed. Most people in the community earn a living through fishing, agriculture, selling wood, small businesses and teaching. When the project was complete, the community established a point person to be the caretaker of the well.

Testimony from a community member:
Daddy Suma, 75 year old chairman of the school committee and carpenter spoke with the team about the water needs for his community. "I gladdy! The rope and rubber is very dirty, but we didn’t have a choice. There is no other water source around here for miles. The water from the old pump tasted dirty and PVC pipes are the best." (which is what the team used)

Testimony
When the team pulled over to check out the situation with the well at the school, the head teacher came running out and was already praising God for the team stopping. It was amazing. It was one of
those days where the team was going where the Spirit led and obviously they were supposed to visit this school. The school children gathered with the team to pray before beginning the work. The gospel was presented at the dedication as the team prayed and dedicated the project to God.

Hygiene Teaching
The Sierra Leone team is a partner with UNICEF, and the menstrual hygiene training was taught to 24 fifth and sixth
grade girls. They were very thankful for this information. Other topics covered in the lessons were the three legged stool, proper hand washing techniques, and dental hygiene. The team noticed the pit latrines were collapsing into the pit. There were two huge sticks supporting it. This is a huge safety factor involved here. You can see into two very large holes into the pit. The sticks are literally supporting the building from falling into the pit.

Project Updates


May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at COG Primary School - Sankoya Well

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.

We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to rural communities like Sankoya, Sierra Leone

We trained people on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19.

With distancing and/or small groups: Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

We began training communities before the first reported case of COVID-19 in the country and before the government enacted public health guidance related to it. We worked with trusted community leaders and Water User Committees to gather community members for the training. Although community members did not observe social distancing during the training, we sensitized them on its importance and effectiveness in combating the spread of the virus.

We covered essential hygiene lessons:

- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station

- Proper handwashing technique

- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing

- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.

We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What social distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough into an elbow

- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

- How to make and properly wear a facemask.

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point.

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.

We continue to stay in touch with this community as the pandemic progresses. We want to ensure their water point remains functional and their community stays informed about the virus.

Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention. You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.




August, 2018: Continued Work at Sankoya Primary School

The initial project at this school (seen in the reporting found on this page) is a display of our shared commitment to helping them access water. Equally as important to the community and The Water Project is ongoing support to make sure that water is reliable, day after day, year after year. This is why we monitor all our projects. Over time we’ve found that the water table has dropped in this area, limiting the intended benefit of this well. Though not common, this does happen from time to time.

Because of our commitment to people in this community (and the lasting impact that our supporters want to make), we’ve drilled this well deeper in order to access a deeper, higher yield aquifer. This work will ensure that clean water is accessible here year round. To see that work, click here.




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.


Sponsors


21 individual donors
Pathways Community Church
Okaloosa County Alumnae Chapter
Duane & Katrina Weaver