January, 2022: Feradugu Village Well Rehabilitation Complete!
We are excited to share a safe, reliable water point at Feradugu 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.
Mabinty cups water from the rehabilitated well in her hands.
"I am very happy for the rehabilitated well in our community," said Mabinty Sesay, a 52-year-old housewife and trader. "The time of year when the well dries is fast-approaching, and from the look of things, that is something of the past. The water from the stream is what we used for most of our chores throughout the day. Now, I have a safer and more reliable option."
15-year-old Mariatu K. explained why the rehabilitated well means so much to her. "Most of the jobs around the house for young girls [are] fetching water, cooking, [and] doing laundry. Most of the chores involve the use of water, so most of our time involves water before and after school. This water point is going to reduce the time we spend walking back and forth to the stream."
Mariatu, in the green shirt, pours clean, safe water.
We held a dedication ceremony to officially hand over the well to the community members. The ceremony was attended by several local dignitaries from the Port Loko District Council, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ward Council, and a community women's group. Each official gave a short speech thanking everyone who contributed to the rehabilitation of the water project.
Then, Mariatu and Mabinty made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing. Temne tribal songs filled the air, with the community praising the organization for their help in providing water all year round.
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 14.93 meters with water at nine 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.
Community members assist with the yield test.
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. With the help of village headman, Pa Dauda, we recruited 156 participants for all three days of 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.
The most memorable topic during the training was disease transmission. This village has been hit hard recently by tuberculosis. Unfortunately, they have been afraid or embarrassed to go to the hospital; they seek traditional herbs and medicine instead.
A beloved young man in the community recently died, but before he did, he had spread tuberculosis to several others he was living with. Because of this and the rise of malaria cases, the community members listened very attentively when the training facilitators discussed how diseases spread from person to person.
Community members work together to put disease transmission posters in order.
"Being an uneducated person, some of the things that we believe are most times complete lies," said 55-year-old farmer, Alie Sesay. "I have always believed that eating oranges will lead to malaria, but based on the training, I have learned that is not true. Keeping our environment clean keeps illnesses away and prevents future hospital visits."
Alie (in the checkered shirt) displays posters for his neighbors to see.
"I have to be honest, I have used native herbs more times than I have been to a hospital for myself and my family," Alie continued. "Most of the illnesses are a result of what we do to our water and food. Another practice that I am going to stop is keeping animals inside the house. I found out during the training that the feces from the animals gets our children sick."
"As a student, the correct information on the prevention of Coronavirus should have been shared at school, but since most of the adults and teachers do not believe in the existence of the virus, it wasn't shared," said 18-year-old Mariatu S. (not the same as our friend Mariatu K. from earlier).
"I am thankful that this information has been shared with me," Mariatu S. continued. "Not only am I aware of the steps to take when a family member gets infected with the virus, but I also know how to prevent from getting it. This new knowledge will help to keep me and my family safe."
When an issue arises concerning the well, community members are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our field officers to assist them. Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our ongoing monitoring and maintenance program.
"Now I can say I drink water that is taken care of," Mariatu K. concluded. "I just pray that the care continues. I am not a member of the water user committee, but I asked for the phone number of the [Water Project] office to call in case there is ever an issue."
Thank you for making all of this possible!
