The 172 people of the Suctarr Community struggle to access sufficient water. The arduous process of collecting water in this community consumes all their time, energy, and, often, their health.
Field Officer Alie Kamara shared, "It is heartbreaking for the community as they do not have any other means to fetch water but from a protected dug well without a hand pump. They use a five-gallon [bucket] and rope, then pull some water from the well. This consumes energy and time to make more trips. The community women and children complain of pain all over the body. They would not be able to complete or embark on their routine at home."
Without a safe and reliable water source, life in the Suctarr Community is debilitating. Traders like 50-year-old Doris Quee (seen below) cannot invest enough time in their livelihoods, ultimately affecting their incomes.
"The water situation affects my trade, especially in the morning hours. During that time, I would not be able to fetch the required quantity of water as a result of overcrowding at the well. This will cause me to delay. Meanwhile, I will not be able to deal with customers," she shared.
"The other challenge I face is the difficulty of drawing water from the well. The five-gallon rubber [bucket] and the rope are heavy. There are times I will ask other water users to fetch water for me. This will lead to a delay as they will only help me fetch water when they have filled their jerrycans. During [the] dry season, water from the well [is] less. Therefore, the color of the water changes. This makes it difficult for me to fetch drinking water unless I end up buying bundles of packet water (bottled water) or go in search of water. Sometimes [I] would not be able to afford [it]," Doris, pictured above, concluded.
According to UN Women, there is a significant disparity in the water crisis between men and women.
“In 80 percent of households with water shortages, women and girls are responsible for water collection. This often means traveling long distances and carrying heavy loads, in some cases with a high risk of violence. The time required can pull girls out of school and leave women with fewer options to earn an income.”
15-year-old Haja B. (seen below) shared her experience. "It is a big challenge for me to fetch water from the well we have in this community. I usually collect a rubber bucket and then go to the well. I meet people gathered at the well, and I must wait for them to fetch water before I can get access. Fetching water from the well is hard because I use a five-gallon [bucket] and a rope to collect water from the well. It is not easy for me to fetch enough water, and I would not be able to [do] more trips."
"Similarly, walking long distances to access the source is not easy for them. Due to this, they would not be able to make more trips. School-going pupils could not go to school early due to the pressure of fetching water," continued Field Officer Alie Kamara.
"After fetching, I feel pain all over my body, and this might cause me not to able to do other domestic work or even not to go to school every day. I would be grateful if they helped repair this water well in my community so I would not face water challenges," Haja concluded.
The rehabilitation of the Suctarr Community well will give people like Doris the time needed to improve their livelihoods and enrich their families' lives. Children like Haja will have the time to prioritize their educations and hopefully create 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
