Rotifunk Victory Primary School and Church
Project Snapshot
Country: Sierra Leone
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude 8.603550
Longitude -13.186733
Impact:
Total Served: 500
Status: Completed (?)
Completion Date (or estimate): 02/26/2010
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General Information
The well rehab was at the church in Rotifunk located in the Port Loko district of Sierra Leone. The open well sits alongside a new building that houses church services and a primary school. The open well was sealed up, a base was placed and a new Afridev hand pump was installed. The community was excited to see the team come and the women made a wonderful meal of rice with sauce and fresh mangoes. Most people in the community earn a living through fishing, working at the airport, teaching, agriculture, market sellers, traders, carpenters and masons. The community helped out with the project by providing materials, food, security and labor. When the project was complete, the community established a water committee and a point person to be the caretaker of the well.
Testimony from a community member
Victoria S. Jarrett, 53 year old child welfare worker and sand/stone supplier spoke with the team about the water needs. “There is a great different between fetching water with a rope and a rubber compared to a sealed up well with a hand pump. We will not experience the sores on our hands anymore. The dirty rope will not go inside the well and no disease will enter and the sickness will stop. We’re very thankful!”
Testimony
There were 58 people in attendance who prayed with the team before any work began. After the well
project was complete, they gathered back around the well and dedicated it back to Daddy God. There
was singing and rejoicing. The gospel was presented and the church members were present.
Hygiene Teaching
In addition to the hygiene lessons, the trainers sensitized the community on the importance of having
a toilet of some sort. The variations were discussed and the community was encouraged to work together for a defecation free community. There were 29 adults who attended the training and 29 ORS spoons were distributed. Other topics included: germs/disease transmission, proper hand washing, healthy-unhealthy communities, proper care of the pump and keeping the water clean.
Project Photos
Sponsors
Country Details
Sierra Leone
- Population: 9.7 Million
- Lacking clean water: 47%
- Below poverty line: 70%
- Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season; winter dry season
- Languages: English, Mende, Temne, Krio
- Ethnic Groups: 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10%
- Life Expectancy: 48 years
- Infant Mortality Rate: 155 deaths per 1000 live births
Partner Profile
Living Water International
Nearly 20 years ago, we set out to help the church in North America be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving the poorest of the poor. 600 million people in the world live on less than $2 a day. 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water.
For all practical purposes, these statistics refer to the same people; around the world, communities are trapped in debilitating poverty because they constantly suffer from water-related diseases and parasites, and/or because they spend long stretches of their time carrying water over long distances.
In response to this need, we implement participatory, community-based water solutions in developing countries. Since we started, we’ve completed water projects for 7,000 communities in 26 countries.
It all began in 1990, when a group from Houston, Texas traveled to Kenya and saw the desperate need for clean drinking water. They returned to Houston and founded a 501(c)3 non-profit. The fledgling organization equipped and trained a team of Kenyan drillers, and LWI Kenya began operations the next year under the direction of a national board.
That pattern continues today; we train, consult, and equip local people to implement solutions in their own countries.
Remembering the life-changing nature of that first trip in 1990, we also lead hundreds of volunteers on mission trips each year, working with local communities, under the leadership of nationals, to implement water projects. It’s hard to know which lives are changed more—those “serving” or those “being served.”
Our training programs in shallow well drilling, pump repair, and hygiene education have equipped thousands of volunteers and professionals in the basics of integrated water solutions since 1997.
