August, 2021: Rosint Church of God Prophecy Primary School Project Complete!

We are excited to share a safe, reliable water point at Church of God (COG) Prophecy Primary School in Rosint, Sierra Leone is now 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.

"Before, water was the biggest constraint in our school," said one of the school's students, Rugiatu K. "Most times, we were usually late when we went out during lunch break to fetch drinking water. We are happy that we now have reliable and safe pure drinking water in our school."

Yvonne and students at the well.

It was an unfortunate incident that spurred Yvonne Lewis, one of the teachers at the school, to apply for a new well: a young boy was killed by a car while crossing the street to fetch water from a neighboring well.

"My conscience will not serve me well if I fail to be grateful," said Yvonne on the day of the well's dedication. "It is widely acknowledged that water is an essential component of life. Therefore, the water point in our school has created a positive impact on me personally."

"We were always worried in school about the risk involved in fetching water at neighboring houses. Most of us were regularly absent from school due to the cause of water-borne diseases," Rugiatu continued. "Having this safe water now will help reduce contracting illness. Today, we are grateful."

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, the structure we use to hold and maneuver each of the drilling tools. 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 23 meters with water at 17 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.

With drilling complete, we installed screening and a filter pack to keep out debris when the water is pumped. 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.

As the project neared completion, we built a cement platform, walls, and drainage system around the well to seal it off from surface-level contaminants. The drainage system helps to redirect runoff and spilled water to help avoid standing water at the well, which can not only 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!

Next, it was time to dedicate the well to the school. Students, teachers, community members, and local dignitaries arrived to commemorate the event.

The headteacher at COG Primary School, Mr. Wilson, welcomed and thanked the team of builders and the invited stakeholders. He expressed his gratitude for the new source of safe and reliable drinking water for their school and the community. Mr. Wilson added that this day will be a remarkable day for the school and the community people.

Teachers, children, and stakeholders rejoiced. After a while, everyone began playing with the water.

New Knowledge

Before conducting any hygiene training, we made repeated phone calls and visits to the local water user committee to better understand 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 attend a multi-day hygiene and sanitation training. We then dispatched our teams to the agreed-upon location to hold the meeting.

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.

The head of COG Prophecy Primary School had warned community members that they would not be allowed to fetch water at the school pump if they did not attend the training. Because of this, turnout was high among teachers, students, and community members alike.

Alpha Kanu, a teacher at the school and a parent of one of its students, said, "This training was valuable to me, my fellow teachers, pupils, and community members. I will never regret being a part of this training because I have got the privilege to learn new things. I strongly believe that this knowledge will be of great help to us if only we put them into positive practices."

"As soon as the pupils went inside the perimeter fence of the well, they immediately started washing their hands," said one of our field officers. "This was a clear manifestation of what they have learned from the hygiene and sanitation training about handwashing."

One of the most impactful topics for one of the students, Fatmata K. (13), was COVID-19 prevention. "This training was very essential to us as a school," she said, "because it has helped us with significant information that will empower us to build a strong defense against the COVID-19 virus. I believe if we sincerely start following all that we have learned about the disease, and take the message home to our relatives, we will contribute greatly to the fight against this deadly disease."

Another highlight for this community was the cause of malaria. No one, including the head of the school, had known that infected mosquito bites were the cause. Some people within the community had been using mosquito nets to cover their crops at night. They came away from the training empowered to prevent malaria.

Yvonne finished her interview with a vow to take care of the gift the school and the surrounding community have been given. "We will keep the water point environment clean. We will maintain the water point. Any time [monitoring staff] visit the school, they will meet the water point in good working order."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

June, 2021: Lungi, Rosint, COG Prophecy Primary School Well Project Underway!

A severe clean water shortage at Lungi, Rosint, COG Prophecy Primary School drains students’ time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this school 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!