Access to Clean Water Empowers Rugiatu to Provide for Her Family!

April, 2026

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Rugiatu. Since then, she and the Malena Community of 200 residents have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"I am very happy to have clean water now. I no longer fear getting sick from dirty water because the well is clean, and I trust the water it provides. I can drink water anytime of the day, and because the well is near my house, I no longer have to walk along bushy roads to fetch water from the swamp," said Rugiatu Kamara.

Before the Well Rehabilitation

Like many women in Sierra Leone, 41-year-old Rugiatu Kamara is responsible for collecting water to meet daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole her time and negatively affected her.

The previous water source.

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 Rugiatu, in particular, it lessened her opportunity to meet her daily obligations and care for her family.

"It was quite difficult to get water, especially from the swamp. Our village's water well was unable to provide water every year as its level lowered or the well simply dried up. I had to walk long distances to bring water from the swamp wells. This water shortage affected my day-to-day activities, particularly the small business I undertake to sustain myself. Because of the water shortage, I had to restrict washing clothes, bathing, and cooking food for my family," said 41-year-old trader Rugiatu Kamara.

Since the Well Rehabilitation

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


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!"

"Having access to clean water is life to me because clean water gives life. I prefer drinking clean water as it is good for my health. Clean water will also prevent me from getting ill. If I remain healthy, I will be able to move around and perform my day-to-day activities in order to earn a living. I am also able to be in a position to take good care of my family, mostly my children," said Rugiatu.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Rugiatu and the rest of her 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 system hardware, monitor water availability, conduct sanitary inspections, and collect water-quality samples to identify risks. We work with our on-the-ground team to resolve them.

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

"Since the completion of this water well, I have been able to fetch enough water to accomplish all my domestic work, run my business, and achieve good sales daily. I am also able to clean my house and sanitation facilities properly," said Rugiatu.

She continued: "My children now have adequate water in the mornings and can go to school on time. My greatest desire is to see my children finish school and make a success of their lives. That's why I am working a lot to fund their education and guide them on the right path. It's not simple because opportunities are limited, but I believe that if I apply myself hard enough and [I] am determined, then this desire can be true."

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 Malena 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 Malena 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: 200 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2025

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 04/02/2026

Project Features


Click icons to learn about each feature.



Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Philip James Allieu, Report Writer

The 200 residents of the Malena Community struggle to access water to meet their basic needs since their well runs dry for several months at a time. The only other option is to travel far to collect water from a swamp. Every day, people wonder where they will find water and how ill it will make them.

Field Officer Phillip James Allieu shared, "The use of the two water sources of this community is not safe for the health of the people. The main water source [is] a protected well with a pump. The well area has water contaminants that may cause waterborne diseases after drinking water from the source. The stagnant water around the water well of this community is also a breeding place for mosquitoes that are causing the spread of malaria parasites in the community. The health report of typhoid and frequent stooling is common during the dry season when there is a shortage in water."

The well is troublesome, as is the swamp. Collecting water from the swamp is less than ideal, as community members must stand in water, sometimes up to their waists, to fetch it. Not only are they likely to contract illness from consuming the swamp water, but they are also exposed to other dangers in the swamp.

"The swamp water is also not usable by the community during the rainy season because of flooding of the environment. The filthy condition of the water during the dry season is another [detriment] of getting waterborne diseases from drinking the water. However, the reported sicknesses from the community during the baseline survey are frequent stooling, typhoid, and malaria," James continued.

However, water-related sicknesses aren't the only hardship the people of Malena Community face.

39-year-old Farmer Rugiatu Kamara, seen below collecting water at the swamp, shared her experience with her community's water crisis. "In the morning, before I go to the farm, I fetch water for drinking and domestic duties. I found it difficult to fetch water during the dry season. When the water well gets dry, I fetch water from the swamp. The swamp water is not good for drinking because it is open and exposed to animals. The distance that I walk to fetch water from the swamp is far. I spend more time fetching water from the swamp in the morning before going to work on my farm. I cannot have enough time to complete all the daily activities."

The time wasted in this community is detrimental to their present and future. They cannot complete other tasks when they spend all day trying to collect water. When they can't farm or tend to their household needs, it takes away from improving their futures.

According to UNICEF, Women and girls waste 200 million hours per year fetching water.

15-year-old Kadiatu K, seen below, is familiar with that challenge. She said, "I must wake up early to complete everything on time and go to school. I returned to the house from school in the afternoon to fetch water and to prepare food before my parents would return from the farm. I could be very exhausted after I had finished the daily tasks. It would be hard for me to sit down to read my school notes because I am tired and just need to rest."

To overcome a cycle of poverty, children must be able to get an education. Girls especially feel the disparity, as they are most often responsible for water collection. When they spend all their time and energy on that task, as Kadiatu said, they are too exhausted to focus on school.

The rehabilitation of the community well will enable people like Rugiatu to tend to their farms and provide for their families, and children like Kadiatu to hopefully focus on their educations in an effort for a brighter future.

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


March, 2025: Malena Community Well Rehabilitation Complete!

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

"The new waterpoint will provide safe and pure drinking water for me and my family. It will help me in the preparation of food on time. The new waterpoint will improve my hygiene, as there is sufficient water within the community," shared 34-year-old Rugiatu Kamara.

Ms. Rugiatu Kamara celebrating clean water.

"The new waterpoint will make a difference in the lives of my children. They will be able to practice good hygiene with the help of sufficient water within the community. This will help to improve their health. The new waterpoint will improve the academic performance of my children," she continued.

Children were just as excited as the adults!

14-year-old Kadiatu said, "Reliable water will help me focus at school, as I don't need to think too much to fetch water out of the school premises. With the help of sufficient water within the school premises, I will have total focus in taking my lessons."

Kadiatu (left front, purple shirt) enjoying clean water with her friends!

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 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 encouraging everyone to take good care of it. Then, Ms. Kamara and Kadiatu made statements on their community's behalf. The ceremony concluded with celebration, singing, and dancing.

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!

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

Raising the tripod to begin drilling.

Finally, we started to drill! We reached a final depth of 12 meters with water at 10 meters. The team installed the cylinder as far below the water table as possible so that the community has reliable access throughout the year.

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

Bailing the well.

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.

Pad construction in process.

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.

Preparing to install the handpump.

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

The well is complete!

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 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 Halimatu R. Sesay was instrumental in reinforcing each lesson.

Nurse Halimatu R. Sesay teaching the community about Malaria.

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.

"There was a massive turnout throughout the training. All the community households recorded attended the training throughout. This clearly shows that the community people are willing and ready to learn about hygiene. All invited guests like the councilor, chiefdom health inspector and nurse were all present during the training," shared Field Officer Alimamy Kanu Lamin.

Community members learning about proper handwashing.

As our field officer said, there was a great turnout for this training! With over 100 people present, everyone was engaged and focused on learning new things. A popular topic was disease transmission. The trainers used posters to show how diseases are spread, and the Malena Community was eager to take in this new information. They now have the tools to live a healthier life and create a stronger community.

Community members sharing stories of disease transmission.

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.

Ms. Kamara participated in the training session about a healthy diet.

"This training has impacted my ideas on how to practice good hygiene. With the help of what I have learned here today, I will be able to practice good hygiene within and outside my community. This training has helped me to know how to wash hands, [the] construction of tippy taps, and how diseases are transferred from one person to the other. I have also been able to know the importance of constructing a toilet and the use of dish racks in each household. With this idea I have gathered, I will [be] able to put [it] into practice [and] that will help me in the future," said Ms. Kamara, previously quoted above.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




January, 2025: Exciting Progress in Malena Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for 39-year-old Rugiatu and the entire Malena Community. Construction has begun on the new well project, bringing them one step closer to having clean, reliable water.

But that's not all—during construction, we’re also providing vital health training. These sessions equip the community with essential hygiene practices, ensuring that the benefits of clean water extend to lasting health improvements.

We’re so grateful for your role in making this possible. Stay tuned for more updates—soon; we’ll be celebrating the arrival of safe water in the Malena Community!




Project Photos



Contributors

40 individual donor(s)