Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 251 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 11/19/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

For the 251 people in this area of Tintafor, water is scarce, and it seems everyone is scrambling to find water. The few water points they have are experiencing seasonal dryness, or are overcrowded, causing frequent breakdowns and long collection times.

"I need enough water to do my domestic activities every day. It is not easy to fetch a single bucket of water, especially when [our] water well is not providing water. The pump frequently breaks down," said 23-year-old trader Haja Mansaray, shown below collecting water.

Haja admitted that it is too challenging for her to collect enough water to regularly launder her clothes, keep up with her personal hygiene, or steadily make an income. "My business is delayed because of the time I spend fetching water to do all my daily activities," Haja said.

Fifteen-year-old Fatmata K. (shown below) finds the lack of water challenging as a student and as a Muslim. She needs water to drink, wash her uniforms for school, and even more water to perform her daily prayer rituals, but on many days those things are nearly impossible to accomplish.

"Since the water source I had been using in my community got spoiled, I had a lot of constraints as a student. Most of the time, when I wake up late in the morning, before going to the alternate source, I find the place so overcrowded. I had to wait a long time before I could access water. I normally go to school late, which affects my academic work greatly," said Fatmata.

When Fatmata can't find water, she relies on whatever source she can find, but this often means the water she manages to collect is not safe for consumption. As a result, she reported frequently suffering from water-related illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid.

Rehabilitating the well close to the people in this area of Tintafor will hopefully afford them easier and more consistent access to safe, reliable 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


March, 2023: Tintafor Community Well Rehabilitation Complete!

We are excited to share that a safe, reliable water point at Tintafor 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 main water source is now working. I will never forget the difficulties I used to face in times past," said 23-year-old trader Haja Mansaray. "Today, with the provision of this water well from you, I will be able to fetch water with ease. Therefore, I will be able to cook on time and pay more attention to my trade. The cleaning of the house will not be hard to do since water will now be available for that purpose."

Haja giving her speech.

"The new water point will enable me to complete all my work at home before going to school. I will be able to fetch enough water in the morning hours with fewer constraints since the water point is just a few meters away from our house," said 15-year-old Nenneh K. "Similarly, the water point will make me to save energy to study. Initially, I used a lot of energy trying to fetch water from other areas. By the time I [got] home, I would already be [too] exhausted to launder my school uniform, let alone to study."

Nenneh clapping (in the red and blue dress) while community members celebrate clean water.

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 Councilor. 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, Haja and Nenneh made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

Celebrating!

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 21 meters with water at 14 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.

Safe water storage was a topic of interest to participants. People were encouraged to keep their water in clean, covered containers on top of their tables rather than on the ground to prevent contamination.

Using a tippy tap handwashing station.

"The disease transmission story made me gain a full understanding of this area. I saw how from the pictures how an entire family suffered from frequent stooling. This is because they left the rice on the floor. This thing is very common in our community. Therefore, I am happy about such training since it helps us to gain knowledge about good hygienic practices. This will save us from a wide range of diseases," said Haja, quoted earlier.

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: Tintafor Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Tintafor 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!


Accessible water gives Isatu time to study!

April, 2024

A year ago, your generous donation helped the Tintafor 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 Tintafor Community 10.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Tintafor Community 10 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, 17, recalled what life was like in the Tintafor Community before her community's well was rehabilitated last year.

"Before, I used to suffer to fetch water. I [would] wake up early to go in search of water in the community. It was hard to do, especially when I had a lot of buckets to fetch. There are times [when] the source we used to fetch water from became dry. All this made me suffer," said Isatu.

Collecting water is now simpler for Isatu and the other community members and students in Tintafor.

"Now that we have [a] water well, I can fetch enough water to wash the dirty plates and spoons. Also, I am able to fetch water on time before going to school. This alone is a blessing to me," continued Isatu.

Having ready access to water from the well has made a difference for Isatu, allowing her to collect water whenever she needs it so she can use her time and energy to focus on other important things.

"The water well has helped me to do all my work at home on time. This has made me have enough time to rest and read my notes," said Isatu.

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 Tintafor Community 10 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 Tintafor Community 10 – 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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