The New London community in Lungi, Sierra Leone is growing very fast, surrounded by churches and a few mosques. The once quiet, peaceful, and vegetated area is now filled with homes. All available land has been bought by people from all over the country wanting to relocate to Lungi. The biggest attraction to this community is its proximity to the airport, government hospital, central police station, the Catholic mission, and the military barracks.
The main water source for some 137 people here is a hand-dug well that was constructed by the Catholic Mission at #10 Dankama Street. It was done as a show of gratitude for a staff member who has served them faithfully for many years.
At the time of our visit, the well was dry and water could not be accessed. At the all-too-frequent times like this, people here have to travel further to access other water points - leading to long waits due to increased stress at those sources.
"I suffer a lot because of this nonfunctional well in front of my tailor shop. I know with a properly functioning well, that will reduce the number of people at the other wells in the community," said Vandy Sandi, a local tailor.
In addition, the well is not monitored or maintained in any formal way. As a result, community members are susceptible to waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. Seeking treatment is costly and time-consuming, though illnesses that are left untreated can sometimes turn fatal.
"This proposed project will do wonders for the community in New London. It will reduce the long lines and lessen the pressure at some of our water sites. The more pressure a water point gets, the more it is open to damage and disrepair," said one of our field officers after visiting the well.
One challenge for this community is getting around in the rainy season. It is a flat land prone to floods. The absence of gutters makes the roads impassable with multiple ditches that stall motorcycle engines. The riders that are familiar with the community use rain boots to travel in and out of the community. Even the smallest rain usually fills the streets with water that spills into the front doors of some unlucky people. The stagnant water poses a threat and exposure to malaria and other waterborne illnesses.
The people in New London rely on gardening and petty trading to make a living. The practice of wearing used clothing was popular in the past but a new generation of tailors comprised of both women and men are coming up with new styles that attract people from around the world. The practice of sewing African clothes from fabrics designed in elaborate colors has gained a new and wide attraction making tailoring a good source of income for some people in the community.
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 conversion from hand-dug well to borehole will not only eliminate the cycle of seasonal drying, but it will also ensure that the water provided will be bacteria-free.
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 3 consecutive days.
After our visit, the hygiene and sanitation trainer decided it would be best to teach community members how to build a tippy tap (a hands-free 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 dishracks and the importance of properly penning in animals to keep them away from people's food and water.
"The community can greatly improve on the hygiene and sanitation by making sure that all homes, schools, churches, and mosques have adequate handwashing stations with clean water and soap. The homes have latrines and the real reason people decided to build latrines is that there is no more free land to defecate," explained community member Betty Chambers.
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.
