July, 2023: Tombo Lol Community 2 Well Rehabilitation Complete!

We are excited to share that a safe, reliable water point at Tombo Lol 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.

"Now that we have [a] completed water point within walking distance in my community, I can afford to spend more time studying and helping my parents with work around the house. I am happy my parents include me in household chores even though I am a boy. They are teaching me how to cook and clean for when I get older, I will not have to depend on anyone for cooking or cleaning. I like to play sports, but I prefer helping my Mom around the kitchen more," said 14-year-old Sheka K.

Sheka splashing water while celebrating the new well.

"As a young boy, it is my responsibility to fetch water for my household. The location of this well is next to my family's house. I can literally walk down my steps, and right in front is the well. I now have plenty of time to study and do all other chores around the house," continued Sheka.

"I am happier than most of the people in the community for this blessing. Children are the most affected in any community when there are water challenges," concluded Sheka.

Salamatu pumping water.

"The water well was completed just in time for the month of Ramadan. In the past, most members of this community relied on an open well for water. Even [though] we knowingly fetched water not safe to drink, we had to make use of it since it was the only water available," said 42-year-old trader Salamatu Barrie.

She continued, "I am the mother of 3 school-going children who use more water than anybody I know. They need water that is clean to launder their white uniforms. We need safe and clean water for cooking and drinking. One thing that is going to be different is no more trips in the community very late and very early [in the day] in search of water sources with clean and sufficient water. I can sleep being rest assured that my children are in the home and safe."

Community elders 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 Ministry of Water Resources and the Port Loko District 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, Sheka and Salamatu 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.

Drilling.

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

Testing the well's yield.

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.

Building a protective platform.

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

Installing the pump.

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 from the local clinic to help explain some topics and spread awareness about Sierra Leone's free vaccinations for children under five. The nurse 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, COVID-19, Ebola, Hepatitis, HIV and AIDS.

Community members discuss hygiene practices.

"The most memorable topic for this community was keeping the water clean. Keeping the water clean requires the work of the community people and the organization. Old habits are hard to die, is one statement that I hear frequently in communities when we are talking about their health and lives. Keeping the water clean is a topic that transcends above all [the] other topics. The people are always concerned about the water in the well instead of focusing on the entire water chain. The safe water chain includes making sure the source is clean, the transporting [of] the water is done in clean containers with lids, and the water is stored above a table and covered," said our field officer Sia Veronica Kai.

"As members of communities in the country, it is our responsibility to make sure our sources of water are kept properly clean to reduce the chances of [the] loss of lives, especially for the children of the country. The provision of safe access for drinking water is the first step in attaining good health," Sia concluded.

"First of all, I would like to say thanks to God and you for making it possible for me to be part of this training. As a young girl growing up in Lokomasama chiefdom, I only drank what was available to me. The older I got, the more I started to take notice of the water we had been drinking all those years was not safe for us. Little did I know that I still was exposing my children to unhealthy practices that will have a tendency to impact them negatively. Knowledge is power, and now that I am empowered, what am I going to do with this knowledge? The first and most important thing I am going to do is to make sure all the required sanitation facilities are kept up to date," said Salamatu, who was quoted earlier.

She continued, "I have been through a lot of outbreaks, and the common requirement [with] each of these outbreaks was to make sure hands are washed properly with clean soap and water. Handwashing has become a part of our daily lives, and since I am a member of the water user committee, we will also enforce the washing of hands and containers before fetching water. As a Muslim, if I can save one life by spreading the knowledge I have learned during the training, then I think I have done my part in helping people in my community."

The Water User Committee members with their training certificates.

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: Tombo Lol Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

The lack of adequate water in Tombo Lol Community 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!