February, 2023: Bankinya Community Well Rehabilitation Complete!
We are excited to share that a safe, reliable water point at Bankinya Community in Sierra Leone provides clean water to community members! We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training, focusing on healthy practices such as handwashing and latrines.
12-year-old Isatu K. fetches water for her family twice daily, before and after school. When the well in Bankinya used to dry out, this meant waiting for enough others to join her so she wouldn't be afraid of the dangers in the bush, like snakes and scorpions.
Isatu collecting water.
"It is not easy to fetch water from the stream because of the long distance from my house, and the stream is in the bush," Isatu explained. "The stream water is sometimes not clean. It would be hard to fetch drinking water from the stream at that time. It was not easy for me to go to school on time because of the lengthy time that I spent fetching water in the morning."
But now that we've rehabilitated the Bankinya community well, getting to school on time should be easier for Isatu.
Isatu splashes water with her friend.
"I am happy because I can now fetch water from the water well and go to school early," Isatu said. "I would not be in a haste to return home to fetch water from the stream because I can fetch water from this water well. It is now easy to fetch enough water to complete all the daily activities early. I can now fetch water from this water well at any time to my house."
"I am happy today because our water well is providing enough clean water that will serve all of us in this community," said 27-year-old trader Emmah Sankoh.
Emmah cups her hands beneath the water at the well.
"It was not easy to fetch water from this well," Emmah continued. "It dried during every dry season. At that time, I fetched water from the stream that is far and hard to reach. I could have enough water at my house during the rainy season from the rainwater. Otherwise, the stream was the best option for me to fetch water during the dry season.
"Going to the stream in search of water was hard; therefore, I could not fetch enough water to use at home. This was a problem that I used to face when I needed to do domestic activities every day. We were at risk [while] drinking water from the stream because it is open to contamination. The color of the stream water never encouraged me to drink, but I had no option but to drink it. I thank you for providing us with enough water from our well. It is now easy for me to fetch water at any time to do all my daily activities on time and effectively."
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 everyone to take good care of it. Then, Isatu and Emmah made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.
"The community people gathered in and around the perimeter fence of the water well, and they were singing and cheering those who were splashing water at the well," said our field officer Philip. "The event was full of fun and excitement for everyone at the ceremony."
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 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 16 meters with water at ten 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.
Bailing.
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 pump and conducted a water quality test. The test results showed that this was 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 three-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.
One of the most interesting topics for participants was handwashing, and particularly when we instructed them on how to assemble a handwashing station called a tippy tap from just a gallon jug, a stick, and some string. They were excited to learn how to construct the station, especially from such common and inexpensive components.
"Long ago, this community claimed to have been practicing handwashing using the modernized facility, which is the Veronica buckets and liquid soap that were supplied to them by the Government during the Ebola era," field officer Philip said.
"But it all stopped suddenly when all the Veronica buckets got destroyed, either by children or through other means. They were not replaced since the people in the community could not afford such a modern hand-washing method. Since then, they had never put anything in place or constructed any handwashing stations that [would] aid the continuity of the handwashing practices."
"The training was so much important to me because it [helped] me learn lots of things that will be good [for] me," said local trader Aminata Kamara.
"During the three days, I gained lots of knowledge on personal and environmental hygiene, which is of great value to me. On the first day of the training, I was able to know the importance of handwashing with soap and clean water using the tippy tap. I used to wash my hands after using the latrine, but was doing that without soap or ashes. Now that I have [learned more], I will always use soap or ash in doing handwashing. I am encouraging everyone to practice all that we have learned during this training as it is for our own safety."
Conclusion
This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members themselves. 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 their local field officers to assist them.
Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.
With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!
Thank you for making all of this possible!
