New Well in Sudan #210
Project assignment is subject to change prior to construction. More Info ? »
Wells for Sudan
Borehole Well and Hand Pump
Girls and women walk long distances for water when safe water is very often right under their feet! Underground rivers, called aquifers, often contain a constant supply of safe water – but you have to get to it. No matter what machine or piece of equipment is used, all drilling is aiming for a borehole that reaches into an aquifer. If the aquifer has water - and after the well is developed - we are able to pull water to the surface utilizing a hand-pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around 5 gallons of water a minute through a hand-pump.
Rehabilitation Project
Rehabilitation is not just fixing a pump - it’s total community re-engagement.
There’s only one thing we can think of that might be worse than not having safe water: having safe water, and then losing if because a project fell into disrepair.
It’s estimated 50% of projects in Sub-Saharan Africa are no longer functional. A majority of these projects are dug wells and boreholes with hand pumps. Though a hand pump is low-tech, cost-effective and a great solution for providing safe water - it’s also among the most susceptible to failure.
When working in a region, The Water Project seeks to provide adequate water coverage for communities across the region. Inevitably, we find dug well and boreholes projects installed, and then abandoned by other organizations and government contracts. We believe there is great value in building on what already exists - what is already present in a community - even if what’s exists is not working. After all, this broken well represents a significant investment from the past and repairing it shows a community our investment in them.
Rehabilitation often proves to be a big challenge, as many wells have sit idle for years and there is typically little information about the specifics of the well. A borehole and dug well rehabilitation involves quite a bit of discovery. First, our teams work to discover as much as they can about the initial project. What materials were used? Was the borehole/hand-dug well properly constructed? What is the static water level and well yield? Are there any known sources of contamination? Many of these questions can only be answered by diving in, and doing “the work” which makes up a rehabilitation.
Once our teams have found the problem, they find the solution. Then, they reconstruct a concrete apron around the well, and install a hand pump.
Program engagement and training with communities takes into account rehabilitation was needed and alters the program to suit the needs of the community. After all - engaging with this community in the same way which led to the initial, failed project will not bring new results. Our teams work to understand the social and support reasons leading to initial failure, and make those areas a focus of our ongoing engagement with communities.
Community Engagement
Community engagement is at every step of a water project.
Our engagement is rooted in relationship and includes involving the community in implementation and ongoing support, setting expectations for water point management and ongoing costs, etc. All of this happens before a water project is installed.
We use a term called ABCD: “Asset Based Community Development”. This means the community gets a leading seat at the table. Before we seek to bring anything into the community, we first seek to understand and utilize the assets that already exist within the community.
Hygiene and Sanitation Training
Community education and self-discovery about hygiene and sanitation concepts lead to improved health.
Improved health is always the goal. This is why all our projects include hygiene and sanitation training. We utilize many different methods for this training, depending on the community/institution, program and country. Training topics include disease transmission, personal hygiene and cleanliness, proper disposal of waste and proper water storage methods.
Monitoring and Resolution
Water isn’t a pump. Water is a service. And, it must be reliable.
The known benefits of water are ONLY true if water can be counted on, over time. We love celebrating when a project is complete and a community has access to clean, safe water. However, the ongoing service of water - making water reliable - is how we know our true impact.
The Water Project continues to monitor our water projects, and we provide continued support to make sure water service continues for communities.
Past water projects and the communities they serve are just as important to us as anything else we might be doing in the future.
To learn more about how you can help with ongoing monitoring, evaluation and resolution, read about our awesome monthly members.
Status:
This project is in the early stages of site selection and initial construction preparation.
During this phase, teams are working to ensure that the community is mobilized and ready for the work to commence. They may be working with them to gather supplies, prepare the site or organize a local water committee to oversee the project in the long term.
We will post specific details about the project, including locations, as they are made available by our partners.
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Stories and Community Profile
Wells for Sudan
Project Type: Borehole Well and Hand Pump
Project type subject to change prior to completion based on community needs and geographical and hydro-geological limitations.
WHI drills for rural communities, usually with 10-50 households. Most
villagers are originally from this area, but were forced to leave
during the long years of civil war and have only recently returned to
their ancestral lands.
Country Details
South Sudan
From its independence in 1956 until 2005, Sudanese were caught in ongoing civil warfare between the north and south, resulting in extreme violence and devastation, and what humanitarian organizations call a "lost generation."
Due to its war-torn past, the country lacks almost every part of what modern society considers a necessity:
access to basic health care services, educational opportunities, electricity and infrastructure, a working economy, and most of all - clean water. The country is rebuilding, but is starting from almost nothing. One recent report indicated there were no more than six miles of paved roads in all of South Sudan. (Source: WHI)
Facts:
- Population: 41.3 Million
- Lacking clean water: 30%
- Below poverty line: 40%
- Climate: Tropical in south; arid in north (desert); rainy season varies by region
- Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, English
- Ethnic Groups: Black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, Foreigners 2%
- Life Expectancy: 58 years
- Infant Mortality Rate: 81 deaths per 1000 live births
(Source: CIA The Word Factbook, LWI)
Partner Profile
The Water Project, Inc. is proud to be in partnership with Water Harvest International (WHI), a U.S.-based Christian safe water non-profit with an
operational base in Southern Sudan.
Between 2005 and 2007, several members
of the Radler family visited both North and South Sudan on mission
trips. Realizing the deep impact that clean water can have not only on
a community but also how it can aid in spreading the Gospel, The Radler
Foundation decided to start and fund a water drilling operation based
in Kajo Keji County, South Sudan.
In May of 2008, as planning and
development was taking shape, the Lord blessed the Foundation and
brought Stephen Huber on board as WHI's first employee. Stephen moved
to Sudan in July of 2008 to set up operations in-country.
Stephen, on the ground in Sudan, began construction of a building and
compound where the operation would be based. The first Sudanese to work
with WHI was George Lukwago, who had recently graduated from university
with a major in Rural Development. Then, with his background as an NGO
contractor, multiple vocational degrees, and a trained pastor, Asiki
Isaac became the second Sudanese on our team. After more preparations,
WHI started drilling in 2009 and has been busy every since.
including: a full time Sanitation Coordinator who oversees all aspects
of sanitation training, a Ministry Coordinator who oversees evangelism
and Christian communal development, an expert Pump Installation Team,
and numerous assistant drillers. The team is currently completing
around two wells a week.