Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 157 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - May 2020

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 01/23/2024

Project Features


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The main water source for the 157 people who live near #24 Thullah Street in Tholmossoh, Sierra Leone is a hand-dug well. Tholmossoh is a densely populated area. The community is located between the largest market place in the Chiefdom and also minutes away from the home of the section chief Pa Alimamy Kapen Kargbo.

The water point was completed in 2009 and it has served this community successfully for nearly a decade. It was the only water point at the time of its completion, so people traveled miles to use it each day. The owner of the well is a woman by the name of Mabinty, she had asked all members of the community that fetch water from the well to do so at no cost. It is a rare instance where people can access water for free, so it makes the water point highly valued among community members.

But the well is experiencing problems. The well has recently started to go dry due to climate change causing the water table to drop. The once-reliable source of water is letting people in Tholmossoh down. As a result, people turn to another borehole well for water.

"The constant breakdown of this water point due to low water has sent our children far away from home looking for clean water," said Santigie Seasay, a local teacher.

In 2010, we supported the construction of a new borehole in this area to alleviate the pressure on this hand-dug well. It remains a reliable source since it was dug deeper than the first well, but the large crowds, especially in the dry season, causes a lot of arguments among neighbors. People wake up as early as 4:00 AM to get to the borehole and there are still lines forming that early.

Because of the high population in the area, a hand-dug well was installed last year by another organization. But the quality of the water is unknown and it too does not work during the dry season.

"The hardest time for me is when this water well is not working," said Ibrahim, a young boy who lives near the seasonal well.

"I have to go to other areas to fetch and it takes a lot of time away from my school work. I walk to school every day, and if I spend a lot of time fetching water I will be late for school."

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

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 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.

"The hygiene and sanitation in this community has been steadily improving even though we have a long ways to go," said Mammy Kamara.

After our visit, the hygiene and sanitation trainer decided it would be best to teach community members how to build a tippy tap (a hand-washing 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


May, 2020: Lungi, Thomossoh, #24 Thullah Street Project Complete!

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

We are excited to share that there is a safe, reliable water point at #24 Thullah Street 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.

Clean Water Restored

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 20 meters with the water at 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

- Tested the yield

- Built a cement platform, walls, and drainage system

- Installed a stainless steel India Mk11 pump

- Conducted a water quality test

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.

The training was held under the few remaining trees in the community. Not everyone was able to sit under the tree but the training was so interesting that some people either did not notice or were not bothered by the heat. More than 70 people attended the 3-day training. Councilor Abu Koroma was a big factor in the success of the training. He helped promote the event and rally people to attend.

The success of any project starts with the formation of a properly functioning water user committee. The water user committee is the liaison between our team and the community, and it complements the efforts of our organization to provide clean and safe water to the community. The committee also acts as a hygiene monitoring team that will penalize any member who does not comply with the guidelines set forth in the Water User Constitution. The leaders of a community, such as Mr. Koroma, play a great role in making a project successful.

Disease transmission posters.

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; dish racks and clotheslines; the importance of toilets; keeping the latrine clean; balanced diets; the diarrhea doll; and HIV and AIDS.

Tippy tap construction

The most memorable topic from the hygiene training was the healthy and unhealthy community exercise. The participants were divided into smaller groups and the subgroups were then given posters of unhealthy and healthy communities and asked to identify what is happening in the posters. Each group is asked to identify 6 to 8 unhealthy and healthy practices. The idea is for the entire group to identify and do something to change certain behavior in their community.

Handwashing demonstration.

The second most memorable topic was handwashing. To show the participants how diseases are transmitted, glitter is put on the hands of the trainer unbeknownst to the participants. They are instructed to check their hands after greeting each other - the spread of glitter from person to person is used to show how easily disease can spread in communities. The lesson highlights the importance of handwashing before and after certain activities.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




April, 2020: Thomossoh, #24 Thullah Street project underway!

A severe clean water shortage at Thomossoh, #24 Thullah Street in Lungi, Sierra Leone drains community members' time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

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




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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: No Longer Late for School!

January, 2022

A year ago, your generous donation helped Thomossoh Community in Sierra Leone access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Marta. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Thomossoh Community 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!

"[During] the time this project was not completed, it was very challenging for us, especially we the school-going children," said 18-year-old Marta. "We had to go look for water [in] the neighboring community when this one went dry during the dry season. We usually got to school very late because we had to go in search of water very early in the morning before leaving for school."

"It's easier now as compared to before," Marta continued. "We no longer go the neighborhood queuing and sometimes fighting for who [could] fetch water first. We the school-going children no longer get to school late like before. Priority is given to every child to fetch first in the morning hours so that we will not be late for school."

"This water point has helped me achieve a lot in terms of having access to clean and safe drinking water enough and at all times," Marta concluded. "Also, it has helped save resources for my family, because before my father used to buy package water at [a] very high price and in large quantity for the rest of the family to save us from waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, and others. It has also helped me now to concentrate more on my education without worries of going to the neighborhood in search of water."


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 Thomossoh Community 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 Thomossoh Community – 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 - Yakima Foursquare Church