Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 103 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/21/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Philip James Allieu, Report Writer

In 2012, the pump for Laminaya Community's main well was stolen. People stopped maintaining the open well since it was left uncovered, and some careless people threw their refuse inside. Now, the water within is contaminated and has an unpleasant odor—and 10 years later, there's still no pump.

There is another well nearby, but it is not in much better shape. The well pad is crumbling, with no fence or gate to keep roaming domestic animals from contaminating the area. What's worse is that this functioning well has begun to go dry for several months each year due to Sierra Leone's annual dry seasons.

So, much of the time, Laminaya's people get their water from the swamp, which the locals call Kobalia Stream. It is both riddled with algae and open to contamination from flora, fauna, and humans bathing and laundering their clothes near the water source.

"There is a crisis in water in this community," said 24-year-old farmer Mariatu Kargbo, in the below photo.

"The well is not enough for everyone in this community," Mariatu continued. "That is why it is difficult to fetch water from it. Sometimes it gets dry, or the pump gets a breakdown. This is the most difficult moment for me. It is now usual that I cannot get water at the time that I need it. It really frustrating to me when I spend more time fetching water and there is not enough to use. This is because of the far distance or the low level of water in the well. I cannot make [multiple] trips of water before it gets late."

Bathing and laundering at the water source dirty the water, but for Mariatu and 15-year-old Fatmata, it's so much easier to do chores at the swamp rather than carrying full containers of water back and forth.

"It is difficult to fetch water from Kobalia," Fatmata (in the below photo) said. "I would prefer to take the uniforms to Kobalia and wash them. That [would] be easier than carrying water to the house to wash them."

"I cannot do laundering at the house because of the constraints on fetching water. It is not easy to fetch water from Kobalia because of the far distance, and the area is not safe," Mariatu said. "The water at Kobalia is not clean. When the water is low during the dry season, it becomes more difficult to fetch water from the stream. It easily becomes filthy and that would cause me to return to the house without water. If I must use water to do anything, it would be delayed at that moment."

When we fix the well so that it can provide water year-round, the number of trips people will have to make to complete their daily work will reduce. With more of our water sources popping up around Laminaya every day, they'll also spend less time in lines. This new time and energy will aid the community members in both relaxing more often and accomplishing more tasks.

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


February, 2023: Laminaya Community Well Rehabilitation Complete!

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

"Today, I feel happy because our well is now working," said 22-year-old farmer Mariatu Kargbo.

Mariatu pumping clean water.

"Thank God someone came to my rescue," Mariatu continued. "I have no worries to access water because the new water source has relieved me from trekking far to fetch water. Now I can fill all my containers with clean water in my house to drink, cook, bathe, wash clothes, and clean dishes at a befitting time. The water point will help me to fetch water that can serve us at home for days. This will make me to have enough time to focus on my farming."

"I am happy that we have got a safe water source in our community. This can help to minimize my struggle for water to drink," said 12-year-old Fatmata K. "I used to walk long distances to fetch water, but now I can fetch water at the well since it is close to our house."

Fatmata (with brown headscarf) splashing water.

"The new water point will make me complete all my tasks at home before going to school because the well is a few meters away from my house. This water source will also help to reduce the rate of sicknesses we had in this community because of poor water conditions," concluded Fatmata.

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 Ministry of Water Resources and the Port Loko District Council, as well as the Chief Imam Pa Morlai Kamara and the local Ward Secretary. 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, Mariatu and Fatmata made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

Celebration!

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 16 meters with water at 11 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.

Yield test.

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.

Chlorination.

At last, we installed the pump and conducted a water quality test. The test results showed that this was clean water fit for drinking!

Completed.

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.

Learning about tippy tap handwashing stations.

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.

We also invited a nurse from the local clinic to help explain some topics. During the lesson on maternal-child health, she explained to the participants that pregnant women need to visit the antenatal clinic for medical check-ups.

The visiting nurse teaches about disease prevention.

One of the participants spoke up to say, “Nurse, I agree with you entirely that we, the pregnant women, must visit the hospital for checkups. But what really stops us from going to the hospital is the attitude of some of the health workers. Some of them are very arrogant when it comes to dealing with patients. That is why I would rather sit at home than go for an antenatal visit because each time I go for treatment, I would face embarrassment. They would shout at me unnecessarily or even extort money from me. They must be polite while dealing with us because...respect is vital for a mutual relationship."

The other participants supported the participant's account. The nurse responded, “Not all nurses are like that. Therefore, staying at home would cause more harm than good. I am pleading with you to visit the clinic to save your lives."

"At the end, the female participants clapped for the nurse for her encouraging words and agreed to start visiting the health facility for checkups," said our field officer Julius Sesay.

Dental hygiene session.

"This new knowledge will help me a lot, especially on how to take care of myself and my environment. This will prevent me from the sickness I used to experience. I am so happy about the advice that was given to us by the nurse. She encouraged us to always take our children to the hospital whenever they are sick," said Mariatu, quoted earlier.

"Another thing I learned from the training is the proper way to wash our hands after using the latrines. Before this time, I often neglected the act of handwashing. Based on the disease transmission stories, I saw how a simple handshake will affect an individual and even a family. Therefore, I will ensure I used the tippy tap and the soap to observe proper handwashing after using the latrine and before eating. This will save me from a lot of diseases."

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!




January, 2023: Laminaya Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Laminaya Community 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: Fetching Water is Much Easier!

March, 2024

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

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Laminaya Community 4.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Laminaya Community 4 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!

Forty-two-year-old Rugiatu Kamara recalled what life was like in the Laminaya Community before the well was rehabilitated last year, and she became its caretaker.

"It was not easy for me to fetch water. Since we didn't have [a] water well, [we could] only rely on swamp water. The distance to [the] swamp is far, and the water is not good to drink. I would manage to use it to cook because I had no better option. So it was difficult," shared Rugiatu.

Collecting water is now much simpler and less time-consuming for Rugiatu and the other community members in the Laminaya Community.

"Today, the water well has greatly helped me do a lot of things at home, such as cooking and laundering. These things required a lot of water. Now, I can do them with ease. No need to go to the swamp to fetch water" continued Rugiatu.

Rugiatu and her friend collect water.

Having ready access to water from the well has made a difference for Rugiatu, allowing her plenty of water to do the daily tasks that are important to her.

"The [water] helped me observe five daily prayers as the well is next to the mosque. It is easier for me to fetch water for ablution. Initially, it was not so as a result of [the] water situation. Also, ever since we had this water well, I have no longer experienced typhoid or other water-related illnesses. Thank God for this clean water," said Rugiatu.

Rugiatu pumping water from the rehabilitated well.

Right now, there are others 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 Laminaya Community 4 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 Laminaya Community 4 – 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.


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