August, 2021: Tardi, #195 Airport Ferry Road Project Complete!

We are excited to share a safe, reliable water point at Tardi in 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.

"This water point has added life to us, because I believe that clean and pure water is life," said Abdulrahman Fofanah, a 52-year-old local farmer. "The water from this water point is safe and therefore will help to prevent water-borne diseases. The demand for this water point is going to be high, because it is now the safest and [most] reliable water point in this entire community." Abdulrahman was appointed by the other members of the Water Users Committee as the pump's caretaker.

Abdulrahman's neighbor, Maferreh S., a 16-year-old student, said, "I am a person with a disability. I cannot walk except in a wheelchair. I suffered a lot to get access to safe water in this community, but now I can see the water point from my house. It is now easy for me to access safe water to drink. I really appreciate this waterpoint."

Abdulrahman and Maferreh both expressed excitement at no longer needing to cross the busy Airport Ferry Road to fetch water, which is often the site of accidents.

"The Airport Ferry Road is a terribly busy road where vehicles drive by every minute at a high speed," said one of our field officers.

"My wife had to fetch water from across the main Airport Ferry Road to cook for the family and it was a risk, because people have lost their lives in car accidents trying to cross the road," Abdulrahman said. "Now, it is easy and risk-free to access safe water to cook."

"It was a challenge for my mother to prepare food for us to eat on time," Maferrah added. "The shortage in water at home always delayed her time in cooking. She could not allow her children to go across the Main Airport Ferry Road to fetch water because of the risk of accidents by vehicles on the road. She did it by herself, and because of that, she used to finish cooking late in the evening and sometimes at night. It was extremely hard to spend the whole day in hunger. It is a joy that we now have the privilege to access water quickly to cook early and eat on time."

The new well was presented to the community during a dedication ceremony, which included singing and dancing as well as the presence of a few local dignitaries from the Port Loko District Council and the Ministry of Water.

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 20 meters with water at 15 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!

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.

"During the training, I learned a lot of new ideas and skills, especially in handwashing systems," said M'balu Koroma, a 46-year-old local housewife. "Before, I used to apply just water without soap to wash my hands, but today, I have learned that a person can get infected by a virus or bacteria from the hand."

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.

"It is through this training I have known that the way we used to live in this community was not good for our health," Mbalu continued. "Now, if only we practice all the requirements we have learned from the hygiene and sanitation training, we would live a healthy life in this community. This training will also help us as a way of protecting our children from harm and sickness."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

June, 2021: Tardi Community Well Project Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Tardi Community drains people’s 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!