April, 2022: Petifu Junction Community 3 Well Rehabilitation Complete!

We are excited to share that a safe, reliable water point at Petifu Junction Community 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.

"I am happy for this water well you have provided for us, and it is good now that we have a water well next to my house," said 17-year-old Kadiatu K.

Kadiatu (in the pink shirt) fills a container with water from the newly rehabilitated pump.

"I used to fetch water from Royeama community, which is far from here, but this water well is easy to access for drinking water. The water is clean and good to drink. I can fetch water on time to complete all the domestic activities without delay. I can now fetch enough water to drink, cook, launder dirty clothes, and take [a] bath early."

"On behalf of the Local Unit Commander (LUC), Lungi Division, I want to thank [you] for this excellent work," said 51-year-old police officer Alie Abass Kamara. "This newly completed water well will help us to provide good drinking water and enough water to do our daily activities while at work or after work."

Alie went on to describe what it was like before the well was rehabilitated. "It was difficult to get good water to drink at this police station except we had [to] buy bundles of packet water from the market. [This] was a risk to our health, but now it is easier and more dependable to fetch water from this well to drink. This newly completed water well will also promote good handwashing at this police post."

For Alie, the best thing about the new well is the money it will save him. "The new water well will help to cut costs. I used to buy bundles of packet water every day. I used to also pay youths to fetch me water when this water well was not providing water. Now, all those expenditures would no longer be on me."

Alie gives a statement at the dedication ceremony.

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

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, Alie and Kadiatu 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 15 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.

Bailing.

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.

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 created the most discussion was handwashing, which everyone agreed needed improvement within the community. One man, whose compound we held the training on, told a story of an entire family who had been wiped out during a recent Ebola outbreak because the father shook hands after making a deal with an infected person at the trade market and didn't wash his hands when he came home.

Another woman, who helps other women in the community when they give birth, noted that families who do not practice proper handwashing have higher child mortality rates than those who do. At the end of the discussion, everyone agreed that handwashing stations should be constructed at every home.

"I learned that keeping animals in the same house we are sleeping in is not good and healthy at all," said 41-year-old trader, Memunatu Barrie. "This will make an impact on me because I used to practice it before to protect my domestic animals. The reason is I did not want thieves to take them away. Little did I know that I was risking my health."

Training facilitator explaining the importance of using latrines.

"Another new thing I learned during the training here is about bad hygiene, where a child defecates behind the house," Memunatu continued. "As a parent, I must take the opportunity to buy a black rubber for my children to stop defecating openly. In this area of training, I think these innovative ideas will make an impact on me."

Memunatu.

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!

March, 2022: Petifu Junction Community Well Rehab Project 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!