Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 150 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Apr 2022

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/29/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Lokomasama Petifu Junction Police Post was established in 2000 during the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) restructuring. It is located in Petifu Junction, along Wallah Road, and is the head station for all the police units in Lokomasama.

Petifu Junction hosts many government institutions, police stations, hospitals, and schools. This area of the community has 150 people that rely on a hand-dug well as the primary water source, located next to the police post. It was built in 2002 by another organization.

The well is only open for three hours in the morning, then closes during the police station's busiest hours to allow the well to recharge and opens again for an hour in the evening. People who rely on the well for their daily use are left to fight for a position to collect water during the open hours and scramble to find water somewhere else when it is closed.

"It is obvious that water is life. Presently the water situation has a negative impact on me due to overcrowding and frequent breakdowns on the pump machine. It is challenging to fetch water on time to use for domestic activities. Most times I have woken my children very early in the morning to fetch water before going to school," said 49-year-old police officer Alie Abass Kamara.

The well does not have enough water to serve the local population because of climate change and frequent breakdowns. It struggles with seasonal dryness, overuse and overcrowding, and contamination.

Very early in the morning hours, police officers are deployed to stop commercial and private vehicles on the busy road to allow the women and children to cross to fetch water before going to work or school.

"I am the second child of my parents and I do most of the domestic activities in the house, more especially to fetch water. I am a sickle cell patient, but due to my mother, I cannot allow my mother to fetch water. Sometimes I have to leave home very early to attend school because I have committed to fetch water very early in the morning before the water source gets overcrowded. Sometimes I end the day without taking my bath because of the shortage of water in the house," Sarah K., a 12-year-old student.

This community needs a well rehab so it has access to sufficient, safe, clean water.

Here's what we're going to do about it:

Well Rehabilitation

The well marked for this overhaul is dry for a few months every year and needs major work to supply adequate, clean water to the community year-round. The pump will be removed, and a hand auger will be lowered inside and powered by a drill team. This hand auger will allow the team to drill several meters deeper to hit a sufficient water column that will ensure the well supplies water throughout all seasons.

As the team drills, casing will be installed, transforming the bottom of this hand-dug well into a borehole. PVC piping will connect this lower system directly to the pump, a construction that we know will also improve the quality of water.

Once this plan is implemented, everyone within the community will have access to safe drinking water in both quality and quantity, even through the dry months.

Hygiene and Sanitation Training

There will be hygiene and sanitation training sessions offered for three days in a row.

After our visit, the hygiene and sanitation trainer decided it would be best to teach community members how to build a tippy tap (a hand-washing station built with a jerrycan, string, and sticks). They will use these tippy taps for handwashing demonstrations, and will also teach about other tools like dish racks and the importance of properly penning in animals.

These trainings will also strengthen the water user committee that manages and maintains this well. They enforce proper behavior and report to us whenever they need our help solving a serious problem, like a pump breakdown.

Project Updates


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!




Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


A Year Later: More Time for Daily Activities!

August, 2023

A year ago, your generous donation helped Petifu Junction Community in Sierra Leone access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Isatu. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Petifu Junction Community 3.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Petifu Junction Community 3 maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

Isatu K., 15, recalled what life was like in Petifu Junction Community 3 before her community's well was rehabilitated last year.

"Before, this water point was not providing enough water to use, and the pump machine [would] frequently breakdown. Also, most times, the water point was overcrowded. The water situation caused me to not go to school on time." Isatu shared.

But life is much easier for Isatu and the other community members in Petifu Junction Community now.

"This water point has impacted my life, from [no longer] contracting waterborne diseases, [and no longer] drinking water from unprotected water sources. Also, I have [more] time now to rest than before," she continued.

Isatu has noticed a significant change in her life since she gained easy access to water from the well. She now has more time to concentrate on her studies and relax, which was not possible before.

"This water point has helped me to fetch water on time and help my mother do domestic activities that required water before going to school. I can now launder my uniforms and have time to read my school notes," Isatu concluded.

Your contribution to providing Isatu with access to clean water has significantly impacted her life. She can now enjoy her life more fully and focus on her studies.

Right now, there are others just like her in neighboring communities that desperately need safe water access. Your support will immediately go to work to provide a clean water project - and we can't wait to introduce you to the next person you'll help.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Petifu Junction Community 3 maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Petifu Junction Community 3 – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


Contributors

37 individual donor(s)