April, 2022: Petifu Junction Community 2 Well Rehabilitation Complete!

We are excited to share that a safe, reliable water point at Petifu Junction in Sierra Leone is now providing clean water to neighboring community members! We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training, which focused on healthy practices such as handwashing and using latrines.

"Before, the water situation was a big challenge for me," said 13-year-old Adamsay S. "I was always compelled to fetch water for domestic activities and my personal use, like when I want to take my bath, launder clothes, and when my mother needs water to prepare food and wash [things she sells] such as fish and vegetables."

Adamsay fills a container at the new well.

"I say a big thank you for providing this safe and pure water well," Adamsay continued. "The new water point will make me be punctual in school and I will now have enough time to rest and read my school notebooks. The new water point will save my time and energy, and this will reduce the chance to contract water sicknesses such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid."

"Before, I used to walk about 200 meters away from my house to fetch water for domestic purposes," said 55-year-old trader, Yasinnah Sesay. "But now with the new water point, all [that] is over. Also, the new waterpoint will reduce the difficulties I used to face with my trade. Before, I had limited water to wash my selling items like potatoes, leaves, and fish, but with the new borehole, all these obstacles [are] over."

Yasinnah, with the megaphone, sings and dances with other community women.

"The money I use to spend on medication will be used for other purposes," Yasinnah continued. "The availability of water will make it easier for me to clean the market table where I normally do my trade. All this will reduce the chances of disease transmission."

We held a dedication ceremony to officially hand over the well to the community members. Several local dignitaries attended the ceremony, including the community headman and representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Port Loko District Council, and the Ward Secretary's office.

The Ward Secretary and the community headman splash water at the pump.

Each official gave a short speech thanking everyone who contributed to the rehabilitation of the water project and reminding the staff and students to take good care of it. Then, Yasinnah and Adamsay 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 their tools and supplies to prepare for drilling the next day. The community provided space for the team to store their belongings and 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 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 22 meters with water at 16 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.

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 new 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 be uncomfortable and 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 called and visited the local water user committee to 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. 16 people - more than one person per household - attended the training, which we held in the market building.

Training topics covered included handwashing and tippy taps, good and bad hygiene habits, disease transmission and prevention, COVID-19, 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 topic that participants discussed most was the implementation of dish racks in every household. In most kitchens of Sierra Leone, food is cooked using three stones and a fire on the ground. Placing food on a dish rack will keep it away from domestic animals and other contaminants that may enter the food close to the ground. Some community members accused others of not using their dish racks properly. However, by the end of the session, everyone agreed that dish racks should be installed and used at every household.

Trader Aminata Kamara, 56, shared what she learned during the course of the three-day training. "This training is so valuable to me because it has helped me learn so many things about personal hygiene, food hygiene, environmental hygiene, and how to take proper care of our drinking water source. As we all know, health is wealth, that is why is important to prevent and protect ourselves from things that link diseases to us."

Aminata cups her hands beneath the spout of the well.

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!

April, 2022: Petifu Junction Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Petifu Junction 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!