Makombor Community

The 134 people of Makombor Community struggle to access sufficient water. Their well is dry for several months a year, and they risk their safety to journey to the only other option, a distant stream. Fear runs rampant in this community: fear of water-related illness, animal attack, and water deprivation.

Field Officer Moses Kebbie described the current hand-dug well with a hand pump, "This community is deprived of clean water. The pump machine broke down; no water chlorination or water quality test was done. In the dry season, especially in the month of March, the main water source becomes dry."

Since community members can not rely on the dug well to provide sufficient, reliable water, they must collect water from the local swamp instead.

"The road to the [alternate] source is bushy and slippery. This causes people to fall sometimes with the water containers on their heads, which may damage the water containers or [people] sustain minor injuries on their bodies. The alternate water source is a dangerous environment. No one goes there alone to fetch water or to do any other activities," added Moses.

21-year-old Mameh Conteh (seen below) shared, "Water challenges are disturbing as a nursing mother, especially in the dry season, between March and April. I go to the alternate source, a long distance from my village. I normally carry my child on my back to search for water. My child cries continuously if I leave him with another person because I am the only person he knows. If I decide to carry him on my back, it pains me because of his weight. I have no option but to take him along with me. Sometimes, I am afraid to carry my son to fetch water because of snake bites and other attacks from dangerous animals."

"When there is a water shortage in our community, we have no alternative but to go to the stream that is not pure. The stream is open, and this will let animals access it. They drink and urinate in the water, and we are using the same water to drink. We normally get sick after drinking water from this source," continued Mameh.

Children are not immune to the hardship the water crisis creates in the Makombor Community.

13-year-old Alhassan K. (seen below) shared his experience. "I am also afraid to wake early in the morning to fetch water because the road to the swamp is surrounded by forest. There are dangerous animals like snakes, scorpions, and monkeys that always scare people going to the swamp. I am always afraid to walk through it, especially in the rainy season when it is more slippery and the grass grows in the middle of the road. This makes snakes come closer to the middle of the road. A snake may bite someone if we step on it."

"The alternate water source is exposed to bacteria and not protected. I am always afraid to drink the water from that source because it will lead to diseases like cholera and diarrhea," Alhassan continued.

Not only is this community's health and safety at risk, but they risk their livelihoods and, ultimately, their futures when they can't collect enough water. Many people rely on processing palm oil and selling it, which requires a large quantity of water. They can't provide for their families when they can't collect the water needed.

Working community members lose out on potential income, and children lose essential classroom time. Every moment taken from their education is detrimental to their futures.

"I normally wake early to fetch water before school, especially in the dry season when the main water source runs out. We walk a long distance before getting to the alternate water source. I normally find it difficult to fetch water when I need it because of the crowd. This is the main reason I am always late to go to school. This problem plays a negative role in my academic performance," said Alhassan.

"I need water to launder my uniform after school hours every day before nightfall. Another negative effect I am facing because of the water crisis is that I do not get food on time. I am the only son of my mother. It is my duty to fetch water when I come back from school before the preparation of food. If I do not get the water when my mother needs it, the preparation of food could be delayed, and [that] leads to eating late at night. I also need safe drinking water to drink," added Alhassan.

Clean water is vital for anyone to thrive; without it, this community has a bleak future. Mameh and Alhassan have dreams of life without a water crisis:

"It will be a great opportunity for me as a nursing mother and the community to have safe and pure drinking water. This rehabilitation will eradicate the shortage of water in our community," added Mameh.

Rehabilitating the Makonbor Community well gives people like Alhassan and Mameh a chance at a brighter future. One unencumbered by the heavy burden of fear and illness their current water situation brings.

"All of these problems will be over when the rehabilitation of the main water source is complete. With the rehabilitation of the water source, I will no longer be late to go to school," Alhassan 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

April, 2025: Makombor Community Well Rehabilitation Complete!

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

"With the help of the completed waterpoint, I will make more income from my farming inputs. This is because I will go to my farm on time, and there is enough water that I will be using to water my vegetables. Before this time, I was unable to complete the plot of land I was farming due to the lack of water within the community. Every morning, I have to fetch water before going to the farm. From now henceforth, I will go to my farm on time, and I will be able to complete the plot of land I am farming, and that will make me have a large harvest that will bring more income for me," shared local farmer Mbalu Conteh.

Ms. Conteh.

"The difference the new waterpoint makes in the lives of my children? To start with, they will improve in their academic activities. The new waterpoint will enable [them] to go to school on time. This [is] because the waterpoint is close to them, and they will be able to fetch water on time and leave for school earlier. They will be able to practice good hygiene, which they were unable to do. The waterpoint will provide enough water for them to practice good hygiene and hence improve their health," she continued.

"Before the completion of this project, things had been difficult for me, specifically when it came to safe and pure drinking water. I was unable to go to school on time and sometimes missed important lessons. That was the reason that always made me perform poorly during the examinations. More so, I was unable to practice good hygiene due to [the lack] of sufficient water in the community. The cry of all those problems is over due to the fact that there is [a] newly rehabilitated waterpoint that can provide enough water for me and everyone else. I will improve in my academic activities because from now onwards, I will always go to school on time, and I will not miss lessons anymore. There will also be a room for me to practice good hygiene, and the new water point will provide enough water for that," shared 14-year-old Zainab.

Zainab.

After construction was complete, we held a dedication ceremony to officially give responsibility of 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, Mbalu and Zainab 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!

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 12.7 meters with water at 3 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.

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.

Constructing the 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.

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

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 Mansaray 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 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.

Mameh Conteh participated in the training session on a balanced diet.

35-year-old Mameh Conteh shared her training experience and what topic interested her the most. "Good and bad hygiene - This was interesting because some of the things parents took for granted were brought up during this lesson. We saw a boy defecating behind the house. This made us laugh. It was funny, you know, but it has a message to parents that we must not allow our children to do such acts. At least we should buy [a] stool for them and ensure we empty it. All this will prevent open defecation in the community."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

March, 2025: Exciting Progress in Makombor Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for Mameh and the entire Makombor Community. Construction has begun on the well rehabilitation 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 Makombor!