Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 273 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Apr 2020

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/19/2024

Project Features


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Rotifunk is one of the largest communities in this chiefdom and prizes itself as the central business district of this chiefdom. The percentage of concrete block homes is almost equivalent to that of the mud block homes, making this community a fairly urban community.

Aside from the mango trees at the back of a few compounds, there is little vegetation in this community. The community has lost its natural vibe due to urbanization. Vegetation has made way for new modern homes. Property is owned communally here, and plots are cut for any family member who acquires the necessary finances to put up a structure. That means the larger trees in most compounds get cut for such homes to be built.

People here are engaged in very many livelihood-earning activities. Some people work at the nearby airport, others as masons, carpenters, or teachers. Most others will engage in petty trading in order to make a living.

Aside from backyard gardening, commercial gardening is very uncommon here because swamps are in distant locations. However, few respondents revealed that they acquire plots of swamp land in the neighboring community where they plant vegetables for sale in order to be able to feed their family. Usually, owners of swamp lands who cannot cultivate their entire land rent some portion of it to other farmers.

The need for water is the greatest trigger for an early rise in this community. Yes, this community has two wells. However, the population coupled with the exponential water needs of the people requires that they wake up early to avoid long queues. The lines are long due to the fact that one of the wells is not deep enough. As a result, it does not produce much water and even runs dry at times. That means there is less water and it takes longer to fetch it.

"I cannot depend on the purchase of packaged water because I can’t afford it," said Pa Mohamed Turay.

Most others face a similar problem, so they must manage with the little water they can collect each day. Community members are eager to solve the problem. As our teams put it, they await the arrival of the drill team like England awaits the return of the World Cup (the country has not won since 1966).

Here’s what we’re going to do about it:

Well Rehabilitation

The well marked for this overhaul needs major work to supply adequate, clean water to the community year round. The pump will be removed, 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 that will ensure the well supplies water throughout all seasons.

As the team drills, 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 construction that we know will also improve the quality of water.

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

Hygiene and Sanitation Training

There will be hygiene and sanitation training sessions offered for three days in a row.

No handwashing stations were observed here. After our visit, the hygiene and sanitation trainer decided it would be best to teach community members how to build a tippy tap (a handwashing station built with a jerrycan, string, and sticks). They 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.

These trainings will also strengthen the water user committee that manages and maintains this well. They enforce proper behavior and report to us whenever they need our help solving a serious problem, like a pump breakdown.

Project Updates


April, 2020: Lungi, 25 Maylie Lane Project Complete!

Please note, all photos in this report were taken before social distancing recommendations went into place.

We are excited to share that there is a safe, reliable water point at 25 Maylie Lane in Sierra Leone that is already 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 am very much happy about the new water point. I think this project is going to settle our water crisis in this community because, as a woman, it's not really easy to cover far distances very early in the morning at my age looking for the water for my domestic purposes," said Zainab Turay.

"I want to thank you and the organization for bringing this project to our community."

Clean Water Restored


The drilling team was able to get to this site at around 1:00 pm. They were transported together with their equipment and were warmly received by the community, which gave the team a safe place for their equipment to be stored. The team could not be given lodging because they were concurrently at work at another project. However, a cook was assigned to them who lived not too far from the worksite to provide meals each day they were there.

Here is how we restored clean, reliable water here:

- Raised the tripod

- Found the original depth

- Socketed the pipes

- Installed casing

- Lined up the drill rods

- Drilled!

We reached a final depth of 19.3 meters with the water at 12.12 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.

- Installed screening and filter pack

- Cemented an iron rod to the well lining, and fixed it with an iron collar at the top

- Bailed the well by hand for 3 days and flushed it

Yield Test

- Tested the yield

- Built a cement platform, walls, and drainage system

- Installed a stainless steel India Mk11 pump

- Conducted a water quality test

This water point was dedicated to the community on the Thursday after the construction was completed. The main contact and the caretaker of the pump were calling people to come and grace this occasion. This task was very herculean as everybody was busy preparing either their home meal or foodstuffs for sale to the general public. However, a handful of people showed up dancing and beating drums, taking up the stage. Songs of thanksgiving engulfed the site.

One pupil named Mohamed reflected on the ordeal he was going through before the completion of this project.

"In fact, my lateness to school is associated with the distance I must go to fetch water," he said.

He was very thankful for this facility and promised never to be late again because the well is now at his doorstep. Community member Mr. Foday Babah Kalokoh was equally happy that a well safe from contamination is now in his community. He expressed how very grateful he was for this kind gesture.

New Knowledge

Before conducting any hygiene training, we made repeated phone calls and visits to the local water user committee to better understand the challenges and lack of sanitation facilities in the community. We brought the findings from our baseline survey to the attention of the committee to help them make the necessary adjustments before the training or drilling could commence. When all the necessary guidelines were met, only then did our team of hygiene trainers go to conduct the training.

More than 90 people in the community participated in the hygiene and sanitation training. The training was held in the afternoon because this community is very busy in the mornings when most people depend on informal labor to make money. We met under a mango tree which provided shade for us because the sun was very hot. Thankfully, the training location was very cool and conducive for the participants and the facilitators.

Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps; good and bad hygiene; disease transmission and prevention; worms and parasites; proper care of teeth; proper care of the pump; keeping the water clean; the cost recovery system; dishracks and clotheslines; the importance of toilets; keeping the latrine clean; balanced diets; the diarrhea doll; and HIV and AIDS.

The zest of wanting to unearth new ideas was clearly noticed in the eyes of the participants as hands were raised for them to be given chances to participate. The participants were fully concentrated on the training and most of the lessons taught captured the interest of the group.

Attendees were particularly interested when the handwashing lesson was taught and participants were called to demonstrate the traditional handwashing methods. They were happy to know that if they cultivate the habit of frequent handwashing, they will avert plenty of diseases that may come their way. Plenty of questions were asked on disease transmission and the required answers were given. The participants were totally involved in nearly all the lessons taught. The training was very much participant-centric.

"I believe that this training has helped me a lot as a person," said Pastor Alicious Macros Turay.

"I am very glad to know we should wash our hands always with soap and clean water. That way we will be free from germs. My family and I will live a healthy life."

Thank you for making all of this possible!




February, 2020: Lungi, 25 Maylie Lane

Dirty water is making people in Lungi sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the narrative and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with news of success!




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!


Contributors

Project Sponsor - Moxley Family Foundation