Musa Changes His Trajectory: From Water Crisis to Law School Dreams

August, 2025

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Musa. Since then, he and the Rosarian Community of 125 residents have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"Clean water makes me feel happy and healthy. This is because I am no longer worried to fetch water because the well is always available. It makes me healthy because the water from this well is safe to drink."

Before the Well Installation

Like many in Sierra Leone, 17-year-old Musa is responsible for collecting water to meet his daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole his time and negatively affected him.

Community member collecting water from the swamp before the well was implemented.

Drinking the water caused severe consequences. Many in the community suffered from waterborne diseases that created health problems, affecting their daily lives. Limited accessibility also meant people wasted time collecting sufficient water to meet their needs. The difficult journey to collect water sapped their physical and emotional energy, creating roadblocks. For Musa, in particular, it lessened his opportunity to collect water he could use for his basic needs.

"It was difficult to fetch water here, especially during [the] dry season when water from the well reduces in quantity. The water fetched from the swamp was not even safe to use at home. Most times, it changed in color, making it difficult for me to use it to launder my uniforms, bathe, and even to wash the dirty plates and spoons before going to school," Musa noted.

Since the Well Installation

Your generous gift last year was much more than a simple donation; it was a powerful statement about your commitment to this community and Musa’s future. By supporting the water solution, you made clean water an everyday reality, fostering hope for a brighter future.

Musa at the well.

Reliable and clean water lays the groundwork for improved health, education, and economic possibilities, allowing people to thrive. We frequently hear from those we interview that "water is life!"

"It is easier and safer compared to fetching water from the swamp. I hardly fell ill because the water I am using is safe to drink. I now have enough time to study my notes, mostly after school, because I will not spend a lot of time fetching water. The well is very close to our house, and it is open to everyone," Musa shared.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Musa and the rest of his community. This is just the first chapter of their story as access to clean water continues to improve their lives!

At The Water Project, we value sustainability and want to ensure that people continue to thrive. We commit to monitoring this project to ensure the water is always flowing and safe to consume. We inspect the system hardware, track water availability, conduct sanitary inspections, and collect water quality samples to identify risks. We work with our team on the ground to resolve them.

You gave Musa a crucial tool for achieving his dreams: access to clean water. Together, we can excitedly expect that with this precious resource, his enthusiasm and courage will help him fulfill his dreams.

"I want to be a lawyer when I grow up. Many people have used their influence to [take] advantage of our people here, so being a lawyer will help me to enforce justice in my community and beyond," Musa concluded.

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 Rosarian Community 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 Rosarian Community – 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.

Project Status



Project Type: Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 125 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Sep 2024

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 07/31/2025

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Moses Gbassay Kebbie, Report Writer

The 125 people living in The Rosarian Community labor tirelessly to collect water daily to meet their needs, especially during the dry season.

There is an unprotected dug well in the community. To collect water from the well, community members must lower a bucket on a rope and pull it back up once it is full. It is a tedious, time-consuming task, especially when the well is overcrowded. Worst of all, the water they spend so much time collecting is contaminated and experiences seasonal dryness.

When the well is dry, people resort to collecting water from the alternate water source, the local river. Sadly, it is far away, wasting people's valuable time, and the water collected there is also contaminated, leaving people suffering from water-related illnesses unnecessarily.

"Drinking from these water sources causes me to contract water sicknesses, and whenever [that happens, I] visit the health center at Katongha, which is three miles away from the community. The nurse told me I needed to purify the water that I use. This will not be possible because I do not have medicine to purify the water, and I do not like drinking boiled water. As a result, my health is always under attack," said 45-year-old farmer Ya Umu Sesay (shown below).

"I must wake up by 6 a.m. to help [my] mother fetch water before going to school at 7 a.m. If I could not get water from the main water source, it would take me an hour to walk to the alternate source to fetch water. The water challenges often cause me to go to school late because I must walk more than two miles to access the school I am attending. Also, there is not enough time to play and read my lesson notes. There are times my mother could prepare food extremely late at night because of the water challenges. This affects my stomach after eating late at night because the food would not digest properly before going to bed, and I could have sleepless nights," said 15-year-old Mohamed K. (shown below).

The lack of water is impacting the entire Rosarian community negatively. Adults cannot grow crops needed to feed their families and make a livelihood, and students are missing necessary learning time at school, which will impact their futures.

Rehabilitating the well, converting it by drilling it much deeper, and installing a new pad that is safer for the community to use will help provide relief from the water crisis. The people of Rosarian will have access to plenty of clean water closer to their homes whenever needed, so they have time for their other important daily tasks. Students will no longer have to sacrifice their education to collect water, which is likely to make them ill.

"I pray that this project will solve the water challenges in our community," said Mohamed.

"I believe all our water constraints will be over once we have a new water point," Ya Umu concluded.

The Proposed Solution, Determined Together...

At The Water Project, everyone has a part in conversations and solutions. We operate in transparency, believing it benefits everyone. We expect reliability from one another as well as our water solutions. Everyone involved makes this possible through hard work and dedication.

In a joint discovery process, community members determine their most advantageous water solution alongside our technical experts. Read more specifics about this solution on the What We're Building tab of this project page. Then, community members lend their support by collecting needed construction materials (sometimes for months ahead of time!), providing labor alongside our artisans, sheltering and feeding the builders, and supplying additional resources.

Water Access for Everyone

This water project is one piece in a large puzzle. In Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, we're working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources that guarantee public access now and in the future within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. One day, we hope to report that this has been achieved!

Training on Health, Hygiene & More

With the community's input, we've identified topics where training will increase positive health outcomes at personal, household, and community levels. We'll coordinate with them to find the best training date. Some examples of what we train communities on are:

  • Improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits
  • Safe water handling, storage & treatment
  • Disease prevention and proper handwashing
  • Income-generation
  • Community leadership, governance, & election of a water committee
  • Operation and maintenance of the water point

Project Updates


September, 2024: Rosarian Community Well Rehabilitation Complete!

We are excited to share that your donation provided a safe, reliable well at the Rosarian 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.

Rosarian Community members celebrating safe water!

"The waterpoint will help me to cook the food easily for my workers. Before, I found it difficult to fetch enough or safe water to cook the food for my workers at the farm. I usually cooked the food late due to [the] long distance and inadequate safe water access in the community. Because of this, my workers were not able to farm vastly, and this hindered my production. Now [that] we have this water point, I will be able to cook the food quickly and have safe drinking water for my workers," 48-year-old Hawa Conteh, a local farmer, shared.

Hawa Conteh Celebrating her new waterpoint!

"This new waterpoint will make a difference in the lives of my grandchildren. They will not walk long distances to access water, [and] they have enough water to launder their uniforms, bathe, drink, and they will be able to go to school quickly. They will not be late to go to school," Hawa continued.

The children were as excited as the adults!

Twelve-year-old Isatu was eager to share what clean water access means for her.

Isatu (front) celebrating clean water access!

"Having reliable water in my community impacts me a lot. At first, it [was] a big challenge for me to access water quickly, and this delayed me to go to school on time. Spending [so] much time to collect water caused me [to have] fatigue, and I would not be able to study my school notes at night. It would cause me to get poor grades. Now, [with] this waterpoint in my community, I will improve on my studies and get good grades," said Isatu.

After construction was complete, we held a dedication ceremony to officially give responsibility for 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 encouraging everyone to take good care of it. Then, Hawa and Isatu made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

Community celebration during the dedication ceremony.

Clean Water Restored

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!

Preparing to drill.

First, we raised the tripod, the structure we use to hold and maneuver each drilling tool. Next, we measured the hand-dug well's original depth and socketed the pipes to install a casing.

Finally, we started to drill! We reached a final depth of ten meters with water at six meters. The team installed the cylinder as far below the water table as possible so that the community has reliable access throughout the year.

Installing the casing to ensure a reliable water supply.

With drilling complete, we installed screening and a filter pack to keep out debris when the water is pumped.

Bailing the well to ensure clean water.

Next, we bailed the well and flushed it, clearing any debris generated by the drilling process. Lastly, we tested the water flow to ensure the well would provide clean water with minimal effort at the pump.

Building the well pad.

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 spilled water to help avoid standing water at the well, which is unhygienic and a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Installing the well pump.

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

The rehabilitation was successful!

Community Education

Before conducting any hygiene training, we collaborated with the local water user committee to understand the community’s challenges and lack of sanitation facilities. 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 before the training.

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. Nurse Isatu Bangura was instrumental in reinforcing each lesson.

After this preparatory period, we scheduled a time when members from each household using the waterpoint could attend a three-day hygiene and sanitation training.

Handwashing training.

We taught about proper handwashing, personal and menstrual hygiene, and healthy habits such as using latrines and maintaining a balanced diet. We discussed how disease transmission and water hygiene are crucial to community health. We emphasized the importance of maintaining and caring for the well pump and the cost recovery system.

Healthy hygiene practices lesson.

The turnout for this three-day training was excellent! The whole community came together to learn and participate. Field Officer Alie Kamara said that everyone contributed positively throughout the training.

The Rosarian Community had never received hygiene and sanitation training before, so many of the topics were new, and they are hopeful they will be life-changing!

Hawa Conteh, previously quoted, shared what lesson was most surprising to her.

Hawa engaged in the training session.

"Malaria was the most interesting topic we covered in the hygiene training. We can only get malaria when a female anopheles mosquito bites a person. At first, I thought that we could get malaria when we eat [an] orange. But with the help of this hygiene training, I learned that female anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria. Also, we can prevent malaria when you sleep under [a] treated mosquito bed net, clean the surroundings, [and] use [a] mosquito coil or mosquito repellant," she said.

"I feel hopeful for this community. Now [that] they have access to safe water, and all water challenges are over. This waterpoint brings hope and joy to this community. Everyone is happy, and you can see smiles on their faces," concluded Field Officer Alie Kamara.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




July, 2024: Rosarian Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

The lack of adequate water in the Rosarian 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!




Project Photos



Contributors

Project Sponsor - Berkshire Blanket
Lebrusan Studio
3 individual donor(s)