Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 185 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jul 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/04/2024

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Community Profile

Three years ago, the well in Rogberay stopped working. Ever since, their only source of water has been their local swamp.

A few times, community members have pooled funds in hopes of repairing or rehabilitating their well and get water flowing again. However, all of these attempts failed, and recently, the pump was stolen.

Because fetching water from the swamp is such an involved task, some people have taken to hiring local motorcycle taxi drivers to fetch water for them, sometimes being swindled out of both their money and their water containers.

But looking at the swamp and the road to get there, it's clear why someone might want to skip a water-fetching trip.

"Fetching water from the swamp is not easy," said 25-year-old trader Fatmata (in the picture above). "I must walk [a] far distance to fetch water from this source. The water at the source becomes dirty easily, changing in color. This makes it very hard for me to fetch drinking water."

"I am greatly affected by the current water situation," said 16-year-old Isatu (in the below photo). "The road to the swamp is slippery and bushy. The bridge we normally cross to go to the swamp is not strong. One can easily fall from it and injure him/herself. I have experienced this before. I spoilt the container of water I was carrying."

Although the water source is difficult to access and dirty, it is also high in demand because it is the only available water source in the community, so lines of people form, waiting to be the one stooping over the muddy water's edge to scoop up a container of brown, sludgy water.

All Isatu's schoolmates are also trying to rush and fetch water for their households in the mornings before school. "I must wait for them to finish before they would ever allow me to fetch water," Isatu explained. "This waiting time slows the work I normally do at home before leaving, such as cleaning the house, washing cooking utensils, washing the dishes, [and] washing the potato leaves and other vegetables we normally cook for the day. All these tasks will be delayed. Similarly, after fetching water from the swamp, most times, I leave the water in the container to settle down for some time before using the water. The waiting time for the water to settle hinders the prompt use of the water, especially for cooking and bathing."

And it's not only students whose lives must be put on hold to get water. Fatmata often opens her shop late due to this.

"Most times when I go to the swamp, there [are] a lot of people at the water point," Fatmata said. "This normally delays me because I must wait for my turn. The long waiting time also hinders the petty trade I normally do. Every day, I must attend to customers at home. Customers will come, and I would be busy at the swamp. This really slows the sale of the things I sell, for example rice, chewing gum, sugar, butter, and plastic."

For Isatu and other kids, the time and energy stolen by the community's lack of ready access to water means she has little energy for school, which causes her performance to suffer. "There are times I leave some of [my] work undone for me not to be late for school," she said.

But time and energy aren't the only cost to using this contaminated surface water. The community members must also pay with their health, not only from drinking the dirty water but also from a lack of proper hygiene and sanitation that only water can provide. A few community members have died in recent year due to cases of typhoid and Hepatitis A, which is spread through the fecal matter of an infected person—an easily preventable disease with proper hygiene.

Above, Isatu washes dishes with the swamp's dirty water.

Because of the high rate of mortality from water-related illness in Rogberay, the community members have learned to visit the local health clinics rather than relying on traditional herbal treatments as many communities in Sierra Leone still do.

"The community members always visit the hospital whenever they experience strange signs and symptoms," said our field officer, Julius. "This is hardly seen in other communities that are solely depending on herbalists for [a] cure."

The community members are Rogberay are trapped in poverty because of their lack of access to safe, reliable water. With a rehabilitated well right in town, health, hygiene, and happiness will allow these people to thrive and strive for more.

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


July, 2023: Rogberay Community 3 Well Rehabilitation Complete!

We are excited to share that there is now a safe, reliable borehole well at Rogberay Community. As a result, community members no longer rely on unsafe water to meet their daily needs. We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training, which focused on healthy practices such as handwashing and using latrines.

Kids at the well.

"As a student, I am expected to play my role in making sure all chores around the home are completed daily. Every morning, I get up very early with a flashlight in my hand and head to the swamp with my peers to fetch water for use at home. I make 4 to 5 trips to the swamp every morning before going to school. Even though I still have to sweep and clean before going to school but now I have more time to eat my rice. I speak for the children in the community when I say we are very grateful for all you have done for us," Isatu K., 16, shared.

"The completion of this water point has many advantages to my life. Thanks to you for making things become so much easier by providing safe, reliable, and pure drinking water in my community. Only God can repay the people that brought this gift to us," concluded Isatu.

Isatu at the well.

"As a small-scale farmer, water is one of the most important things that I need on a daily basis. With a supply of water at my doorstep, I can easily water my garden and not spend the entire day doing so. With more time on my hands, I can afford to plant more vegetables, which will increase our household income. We can start putting money aside to improve our house and save some in case of an emergency. My husband works very hard to take care of the family, and every little help I can give will be welcomed by my husband. When two people are working to take care of the home, things get much easier," farmer Isatu Kamara, 25, said.

Isatu Kamara washes her hands.

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. Each official gave a short speech thanking everyone who contributed to this water project and reminding everyone to take good care of it. Then, Isatu and Isatu Kamara made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

New Well

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.

Drilling begins.

Finally, we lined up the drill rods and started to drill! We reached a final depth of 18 meters with water at 12 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.

Yield testing.

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.

Pad construction.

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

Pump installation.

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.

We also invited a nurse to help explain some topics and spread awareness about Sierra Leone's free vaccinations for children under five. Nurse Fatmata Sesay was instrumental in reinforcing each lesson.

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, teen pregnancy, worms and parasites, proper dental hygiene, menstrual hygiene, proper care of the well's pump, keeping the water clean, the cost recovery system, the importance of using dish racks and clotheslines, the importance of toilets, keeping latrines clean, balanced diets, the diarrhea doll, and disease transmission and prevention (including COVID-19, Ebola, Hepatitis, HIV and AIDS).

Childhood immunizations were an invaluable topic provided by the nurse during training. She discussed how immunization is very important in preventing certain childhood diseases. Older generations didn't prioritize them, but they have seen the dangers of not immunizing children. The nurse was very clear in saying that all children should be immunized. Sierra Leone offers free vaccinations for children under five years old. However, many mothers shared that they had avoided immunizations due to health clinics requiring fees. Nurse Sesay encouraged the mothers to go to government-run clinics where they could obtain free services. She promised to share their concerns about the fee issue with the District Medical Officer. This is why community training is so crucial. Children are now likely to receive immunizations that will make their lives better, and those who attended the training feel empowered to make a positive change in their lives.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members. 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 Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, we’re working toward complete coverage. That means 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!




May, 2023: Rogberay Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

The lack of adequate water Rogberay costs people time, energy, and health every single day. Clean water scarcity contributes to community instability and diminishes individuals’ personal progress.

But thanks to your recent generosity, things will soon improve here. We are now working to install a reliable water point and improve hygiene standards. We look forward to sharing inspiring news in the near future!




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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!


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1 individual donor(s)