January, 2022: SLMC Primary School Well Rehab Complete!

We are excited to share a safe, reliable water point at SLMC Primary School 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.

11-year-old student Saidu Conteh explained what it was like before the well was rehabilitated. "In the morning, I used to go together with other students to fetch water. The distance is far, and there was always [a] crowd at the well waiting to fetch water. We had to wait until our time before we could have access to fetch water. My teacher had to punish us for coming to class late. We used to fetch water from the swamp to use [in] the school toilet and [for] handwashing. The water is not clean, so I was not allowed to drink it. Anyone who would drink it was going to be punished by the teacher."

Saidu uses the new pump.

"The school pump is now working," Saidu concluded. "I am very happy because I can get enough water to drink, clean myself, and use the toilet."

"Today, I am very happy because the school is receiving safe and adequate water," said Head Teacher Ibrahim Sesay. "This will help to solve the challenges we as a school had. I am grateful for this great relief from [the] water crisis at the school."

Ibrahim, the teacher on the right, celebrates with students at the new well.

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, Ward 237 Council, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the school committee. Each official gave a short speech thanking everyone who contributed to the rehabilitation of the water project. Then, Ibrahim and Saidu made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

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 21 meters with water at 13 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.

Bailing.

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 teachers and students could attend a multi-day hygiene and sanitation training. We then dispatched our teams to the agreed-upon location to hold the meeting.

A teacher displays proper handwashing technique.

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.

"I have learned the dangers of open defecation and diseases attached to the consumptions of feces [like] typhoid, diarrhea, and worms," said Mr. Sesay. "Therefore, I am asking my fellow teachers to put all knowledge gained from this training into effective use at homes and communities. Also, to make it a point of duty to always remind pupils in their classes to be practicing good hygiene."

The training topic that spurred the most discussion was disease transmission. Students were divided into groups where they arranged posters in order to show how diseases are spread in a community. One student asked about the causes of such rampant spread of disease in their home communities. Some others responded that it was laziness or ignorance. Phillip Kanu, the senior inspectorate of schools for Sierra Leone, who attended one of the training days, reminded the students that even schools can be guilty of open defecation if their latrines are not kept clean and closed, and everyone must be diligent to ensure that diseases aren't spread in their own environments.

The students also enjoyed discussing the topic of diarrhea and its causes. Speaking of the subject exposed several misconceptions: some students stated that diarrhea is caused by eating foods that contain both palm oil and vegetable oil, others that diarrhea comes about when someone eats lots of pepper, tamarind, or mangoes.

Saidu, who we interviewed during the dedication ceremony, explained that diarrhea comes about when someone takes in contaminated foods and water by eating with an unclean hand or eating uncovered food. Mr. Sesay asked the class to give a round of applause to Saidu for explaining the most common cause of diarrhea.

"We will always wash our hands with soap and water after using the toilet," Saidu promised after the training was over. "We will wear face masks in school and stop greeting people with our hands. Our teachers have taught us to cover our nose and mouth with our elbows when we sneeze or cough and [to] observe physical distancing."

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.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

December, 2021: SLMC Primary School Well Rehab Underway!

A severe clean water shortage at SLMC 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!