July, 2021: St. Peter Roman Catholic Primary School Project Complete!

We are excited to share a safe, reliable water point at St. Peter Roman Catholic Primary School in Sierra Leone, 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 overwhelmed today for the dedication of our newly rehabilitated water point," said student Saffie K.

"Having this water point now at easy access will help to protect me from stomachaches. Before, I was always absent from school classes due to the causes of drinking contaminated water. Now, with this safe and pure drinking water in the school compound, I will always be on time for classes in school."

Clean Water Restored

The drill team arrived the day before beginning work. They set up camp and unpacked all of their tools and supplies to prepare for drilling the next day. The community provided space for the team to store their belongings, along with meals for the duration of their stay. The following day, the work began.

First, we raised the tripod, which we use to hold and maneuver each drilling tool. Next, we measured the well's original depth. We then socketed the pipes and installed a casing.

Finally, we lined up the drill rods and started to drill! We reached a final depth of 11.8 meters with water at 7.4 meters. The hand-drill method allowed the team to install the cylinder far below the aquifer so that the community has excellent water access throughout the year.

We installed screening and a filter pack to keep out debris when the water is pumped with drilling complete. We then cemented an iron rod to the well lining and fixed it with an iron collar at the top. Next, we bailed the well by hand for three days and flushed it, clearing any debris generated by the drilling process. Finally, we tested the yield to ensure the well would provide clean water with minimal effort at the pump.

Nearing completion, we built a cement platform, walls, and drainage system around the well to seal it off from surface-level contaminants. The drainage system helped redirect runoff and spilled water to help avoid standing water at the well, which can be uncomfortable but unhygienic and a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

At last, we installed the stainless steel India Mk11 pump and conducted a water quality test. The test results showed that this is clean water fit for drinking!

Our team and a representative from the Port Loko District Council arrived at Saint Peter RC Primary School grounds at about 11:04 am to dedicate the well. On our arrival, we met the students sitting under a big mango tree close to the water point, waiting to receive the dedicated team. They were excited when they saw the entourage arrive at the school grounds. They started singing and swinging their hands all around. The children were arranged to observe physical distance while singing and celebrating. After a while, they played with the water from the well.

Leaders, teachers, students, and community members made statements to grace the dedication ceremony. Mr. Abubakar Bangura, the district council representative, commended our team for providing safe drinking water for Saint Peter Roman Catholic Primary School. He emphasized that our work is boosting the government effort in the WASH sector by providing safe drinking water in the district. It helps reduce the outbreak of cholera and diarrheal diseases.

Osman A. Kamara said that for a long time, the school was facing a water crisis that was difficult to solve by the community and the school management. Mr. Kamara stressed that it is a blessing to have safe drinking water to sustain the school and its environment.

"Today, I am grateful to you for rehabilitating this water point for us in our school compound because it was over three years when the pump was not functioning. We have been facing a safe and pure water crisis in the school. The school was in bad shape, practicing bad hygiene behavior," said teacher Ramatu M. Bangura.

"The water point will create an impact on me. It will reduce costs for me. Before, I usually spent half of my salary on medications due to contaminated water causes. Now that I have safe and pure water available throughout the year and easily accessible, this will help reduce the waterborne diseases in our community. My worries are over about the students that used to go far away to fetch water from the swamp with fear of wild animals attacking them."

New Knowledge

Two days before the training, members from the hygiene and sanitation team had set up a meeting with the school’s water user committee and stakeholders of the community to inform them about the proposed hygiene and sanitation training that will last for five days.

Before conducting any hygiene training, we made repeated phone calls and visits to the local water user committee to understand better the community’s challenges and lack of sanitation facilities. We shared the findings from our discussions with the committee members to help them make the necessary adjustments before the training began. For example, we identified households without handwashing stations or ones that may need to repair their latrines. With this information, community members worked together to improve hygiene and sanitation at home.

After this preparatory period, we scheduled a time when members from each household using the water point could join the students and attend a multi-day hygiene and sanitation training. We then dispatched our teams to the agreed-upon location to hold the meeting.

The pupils were divided into two sets. We trained each group on separate days to observe physical distance and enable every pupil to listen and understand the message from the training well because, if clustered, they will not pay attention to the training.

Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps, good and bad hygiene habits, disease transmission and prevention, worms and parasites, dental hygiene, proper care of the well's pump, keeping the water clean, the cost recovery system, dish racks and clotheslines, the importance of toilets, keeping latrines clean, balanced diets, the diarrhea doll, and HIV and AIDS.

Disease Transmission Stories was the most memorable topic during the training that captured the teachers, pupils, and community members through a very interactive session. Everyone was asking questions and gave their views about the topic, which portrays their behaviors in the school and community.

"The training was important to me and my fellow schoolmates because it has helped us learn more about Covid-19 and has also helped us with all the necessary information like signs and symptoms, its transmission route, and its preventive methods to help us prevent ourselves and families from meeting this dreadful disease," said student Eddie S.

Teachers at the training

Eddie went on to say, "The knowledge from this training which I know is an especially important piece, will serve as a guide to us only if we take it with all seriousness. And I strongly believe that we as a school will not disappoint you or waste your efforts but rather put to practice all that we have learned from this training for our betterment."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

June, 2021: St. Peter Roman Catholic Primary School project underway!

Dirty and unreliable water is making students in St. Peter Roman Catholic Primary School sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this school 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!