Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Port Loko, Sierra Leone WaSH Program

Impact: 350 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jul 2025

Functionality Status:  Functional

Project Features


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The 14 Pepel Community Health Center staff care for an average of 40 patients a day, which is incredibly challenging as they have limited space, no overhead lighting, and experience daily water scarcity.

The Pepel Community Health Center.

The well at the center experiences frequent breakdowns that are expensive and difficult to repair. When the well does not offer water, the only option is to travel to another well in a neighboring community. Nurses often travel more than thirty minutes to collect water, stealing time from patients needing care.

Traveling for water.

Field Officer Alie Kamara shared, "This facility has [a] U-5 unit for treating children, [an] EPI unit to store vaccines, Labor and Delivery for caring [for] pregnant women and general cases. This facility serves people in the environs and has a catchment population of 8,750. They have a freezer powered by solar, which was used to store vaccines. They use different vaccines like BCG, Polio, Malaria, OPV, Rota, Penta, measles, etc."

Maternity Ward.

"Moreover, this facility faces challenges like electricity, not enough buildings, water access, [and] latrines. Presently, there is no light system in the facility, and they find it difficult to see cases, especially when pregnant women come into the facility for labor; in most cases, they see deliveries at night. Water access in this facility [is] another challenge; their present well has been down for years, and they tried to repair it but could not," Alie continued.

The broken-down well is in need of rehabilitation.

The Pepel Community Health Center has to work twice as hard to give their patients the quality of care they deserve.

36-year-old nurse Isatu Conteh works through this challenge every day. So much of her time is consumed by water collection that she couldn't quantify it when asked.

Nurse Isatu Conteh.

"I cannot tell the exact time I used to reach the water source, especially the well that [is] located far away from the health facility. Sometimes, when the well that is close to us gets locked, I prefer walking long distances to access another water well, which takes time before I [can] return. Due to the distance, it takes me so long to reach the well and return [to] the health facility."

Nurse Isatu Conteh at a well outside of the healthcare center.

"Water plays a role in my daily life. My profession as a nurse cannot be performed effectively without water. So, water is needed for me to be able to do deliveries [for] pregnant women. The well we fetch water from is not always open to us. It is a community well and they get ownership of that well. So, it [is] difficult for us to fetch water from it mostly at the times [when] we need it, especially labor cases at night. All this makes us not fetch enough water, especially when the well gets overcrowded," Isatu shared.

Without water, proper healthcare can't be accomplished. The dedicated doctors and nurses need a different solution. They need access to reliable water. Rehabilitating the well at the Pepel Community Health Center will give Isata the tools she needs to provide the excellent patient care she can.

Steps Toward a Solution

Our technical experts worked with the local community to identify the most effective solution to their water crisis. They decided to drill a borehole well, construct a platform for the well, and attach a hand pump.

Well
Abundant water often lies just beneath our feet. Aquifers—natural underground rivers—flow through layers of sediment and rock, offering a constant supply of safe water. A borehole well is drilled deep into the earth to access this naturally filtered and protected water. We penetrate meters, sometimes even hundreds of meters, of soil, silt, rock, and more to reach the water underground. Once found, we construct a platform for the well and attach a hand pump. The community gains a safe, enclosed water source capable of providing approximately five gallons of water per minute. Learn more here!

What Makes This Project Unique
Each project has its own unique needs. This project, in particular, showcases collaboration and ingenuity, as two water sources will work together to ensure uninterrupted access.

The facility currently has two non-functional waterpoints on its grounds: a protected dug well with a hand pump and an electrical submersible pump that fills a 5,000-liter storage tank. This stored water is then distributed by gravity to taps throughout the community health center, providing access for both patients and staff. Due to the non-functionality of both waterpoints, they have faced challenges in accessing sufficient clean water, limiting the level of care they can provide.

The plan is to drill a new borehole to supply both a solar-powered submersible pump and a handpump. The solar-powered submersible pump will refill the existing 5,000-liter storage tank, thereby restoring access to the facility's gravity-fed water distribution system. The borehole will also be fitted with a handpump to provide the Pepel Health Center's staff and patients with access to water outside of the treatment areas.

Why Do Both?
The combination of piped water and handpump creates a more resilient system of water access for the healthcare facility. Healthcare providers get dedicated access to in-clinic sinks for critical medical needs, while patients and other staff benefit from a convenient handpump location. This dual approach reduces wait times, ensures backup coverage, and meets the distinct needs of both medical staff and the people accessing healthcare—delivering reliable water access when and where it's needed most.

Health Center Education & Ownership
Hygiene and sanitation training are integral to our water projects. Training is tailored to each health center's specific needs and includes key topics such as proper water handling, improved hygiene and sanitation practices, disease transmission prevention, and care of the new water point. The health center staff assumes responsibility for maintaining the water point, promoting safe hygiene and sanitation practices, and keeping handwashing stations well-stocked. After training, the local nurses and community health officers, encouraged and supported by our team's guidance, will provide community training.

Safe water and improved hygiene habits foster a healthier future for the entire community.

Project Updates


July, 2025: Pepel Health Center Well Complete!

Your contribution has given the Pepel Health Center in Kenya access to clean water, thanks to the completion of its borehole well! Staff are already using the well's flowing water, which will provide the health center with a reliable water source for all of its daily needs.

"Now [that] I have this waterpoint at the facility, this will help me focus on my job—no more walking long distances to access water. I will be able to do procedures, able to practice handwashing efficiently and effectively to prevent the spread of diseases, clean the health facility, especially the labor room or restrooms, and provide reliable, safe drinking water, which will [help] my life flourish and the lives of everyone at the facility," said 36-year-old nurse Isatu Conteh.

Nurse Conteh.

"With access to clean water at the health facility, I can achieve proper hand hygiene, clean the labor room, clean medical tools, clean latrines, patients [can] have access to clean latrines, [and] access safe drinking water [for] both patients and me," Nurse Conteh continued.

How We Got the Water Flowing

Staff and community members all contributed to this well's success. After determining the best site for the well through a hydrogeological survey, we obtained approval from the government to begin drilling.

To prepare, everyone helped collect fine sand and water for cement-making. Our drill team and staff arrived at the center to begin work when everything was ready.


Drilling started with excitement in the air. We continued drilling to reach a final depth of 29 meters with a final static water level of 12 meters.

The drilling process can take up to three consecutive days to complete due to this region's hard bedrock, so the drill team set up a camp where they could rest and refuel.

Once we reached the required depth, a permanent casing was installed, and the dirty water at the bottom of the well was bailed out. Workers installed pipes, flushed them, tested the well's yield, and chlorinated the water.

After chlorination, we constructed a cement well pad to seal it off from any ground-level contaminants. Tiles were installed beneath the spout to protect the cement from the erosive force of the water.

We included a short drainage channel and a soak pit to carry spilled water away from the pump and prevent standing water.

When the well pad was dry, we installed a new stainless steel hand pump and performed a water quality test. The results showed this water was safe for drinking!

The enthusiasm for this much-anticipated project was overwhelming. We officially gave the health center staff ownership of the new borehole.


Everyone celebrated the health center's new water source. The celebration was a great opportunity to acknowledge and remind the staff of our continued support. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions.

Community Education

We scheduled hygiene and sanitation training with the health center staff. When the training day arrived, field officer Alie Kamara deployed to the site to lead the event. Forty-two people attended the training.

During our training, we covered a range of essential topics, including personal, oral, food, and environmental hygiene. We discussed disease prevention strategies, the ten-step handwashing protocol, and the construction of handwashing facilities. Additionally, we talked about safe water handling, maintenance, and operation of water points, and principles of leadership and governance.

"It was a successful hygiene training for the Community Health Center. It was an opportunity for the staff and nearby community members to receive such training. They acknowledged that hygiene training is [of] utmost relevance to them as this will help them boost their job performance. The hygiene training drew the attention of the participants, and they were eager to learn and [were] fully engaged in [the] lessons. They were able to ask questions, share ideas, and learn from the team," said Mr. Kamara.

The topic of cost recovery prompted the most discussion from the participants. Cost recovery, a monthly fee that is collected and saved, helps the water point be sustainable. This allows for repairs when a well breaks down.

Phoday, the Community Health Officer at the clinic, said, "Since I was transferred [to] this facility, I took the responsibility to maintain the water well. There was no mechanism put in place to repair the pump, and I solely took [on the] responsibility. I made several repairs, but in the end, the water well ended up not [being] functional due to counterfeit parts being installed in the water well. Today, a Water User Committee [was established] to oversee the water well, and [we were] taught about cost recovery. This will help [with] the sustainability of this water well, which will serve [us] for years."

Nurse Conteh uses a tippy tap handwashing station.

"I have gained a lot from hygiene training. As a nurse, this will help me improve my job. The training refreshes things that I have forgotten. I have gained knowledge [on] how to construct [a] tippy tap. I will make sure I pass on this to the patients who are coming to this facility to seek services," said Nurse Conteh.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




July, 2025: Exciting Progress at Pepel Health Center!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for the entire Pepel Health Center. Construction has begun on the 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 at Pepel Health Center!




Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


Contributors

1 individual donor(s)