Project Status



Project Type:  Well Rehab

Program: Water for Sierra Leone

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project was implemented by another partner, but is now monitored and maintained by The Water Project together with Mariatu's Hope.

A Sierra Leone team member commented, "During the hygiene training, an old man named Nabie Dumbuya reported to us that he had been sick for over a year, not eating well, and asked us if we could help him. We prayed with him for his health, and asked him to believe that God would heal him. We gave him one cup of ORS mixture, and after drinking the ORS, he said that Jesus had given him his healing today.”

When the team arrived, community members were utilizing an unprotected spring located one kilometer away from the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this, families were suffering from cholera, dysentery, typhoid, malaria and respiratory illnesses. During the team’s stay, community members provided meals for the team. Most residents sustain their families by fishing, small scale farming or petty trading. There are a few who teach at the nearby school. Before leaving the community, the team provided community member, Csir Sumah, with a contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.

The Sierra Leone team had an opportunity to meet with thirty year old community member and petty trader, Marie Kamara, who stated, "The old water source was full of dirt and spirogyra. It was from the swamp. This new source is a hand pump, and sealed, and it has been blessed so it has been cleaned and will stay clean."

During the hygiene education, the Sierra Leone team addresses: 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.

Project Updates


November, 2018: Continued Work in Lungi Town

The initial project in this community (seen in the reporting found on this page) is a display of our shared commitment to helping this community with first time water access.  Equally as important to the community and The Water Project is ongoing support to make sure that water is reliable, day after day, year after year. This is why we monitor all our projects.  Over time we’ve found that the water table has dropped in this area, limiting the intended benefit of this well. Though not common, this does happen from time to time.

Because of our commitment to people in this community (and the lasting impact that our supporters want to make), we’ve drilled this well deeper in order to access a deeper, higher yield aquifer. This work will ensure that clean water is accessible here year round.  To see that work, click here.




Project Photos


Project Type

Well rehabilitation is one of the most cost effective ways to bring clean, safe water to a community.  Sometimes it involves fixing a broken hand pump, other times it means sealing a hand dug well to prevent it from being contaminated.  These repairs, and often time total replacements, coupled with sanitation and hygiene training make a huge impact in communities.