Rehabilitation Project
This project was implemented by another partner, but is now monitored and maintained by The Water Project together with Mariatu's Hope.
When the team arrived, 150 community members were dependent on an open well located half of a kilometer away from the community to meet all of their water needs. The well was dry, no casing, no pump, the lining was badly damaged, there was no well pad. The Sierra Leone team made 4 casings sink into the well, repaired the lining of the well, installed new pump and created a cement base. Because of the community’s dependence on the previous water source, families were suffering from cholera, diarrhea and severe dehydration. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a Water Committee consisting of five men and five women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible. Most community members farm to earn a living. The one unique thing about the hygiene education was one musician by the name of Simon went to the community during the time of the hygiene education helped the team to warm the people by singing a song, Since this is a new WASH committee set up at this well, no money had been collected. The committee has been instructed that they will need to impose a fee for water so when the pump has problems they can repair it. Before leaving the community, the team provided the community established Water Committee with a Living Water Sierra Leone contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.
During the hygiene education, the Sierra Leone team addressed: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions.
The Sierra Leone team had an opportunity to meet with twenty-seven year old community member and petty trader, Nacy Kamara, who stated, "The old water source is an open well that they used a rope and rubber to fetch the water and it was not chlorinated. It was too deep for children to fetch water so they went to the swamp sometimes. The new source is protected and chlorinated."
