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 Sierra Leone team arrived, 100 families were dependent on an unprotected hand dug well located 3 kilometers outside the community and an unprotected spring located 1 kilometer outside the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this, families were suffering from diarrhea and severe dehydration among other preventable water related illnesses. The community’s use of pit latrines will help prevent further spread of disease in the area. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a water committee who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible, provided any materials they had available and guarded the team’s equipment during the night. Before leaving the community, the team provided the water committee with a contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.
Three members of child health club from Kankly Islamic School participated in conducting the training. This served as motivation to the parents and they were excited to see their own children teaching them hygiene lessons. Using the Traditional Method, the team and students addressed: Disease Transmission, Germs, Healthy and Unhealthy Communities, Good-Bad Hygiene Behaviors, Disease Transmission Stories, Clean Hands Clean Hearts, Proper Care of Pump and Keeping the Water Clean.
The Sierra Leone team had an opportunity to meet with twenty-two year old community member and petty trader, Jestina Vanda, who stated, "The water from the old source was not enough for the community and sometimes it has some color. The people used to go and collect water from the swamps whenever they did not have enough water from the well. Presently the water has no color, is chlorinated and protected from germs."
