Sierra Leone

Background:
Baoma village, like many rural villages in Pujehun District, is faced with the challenge of a lack of clean drinking water. Essential government services are inadequate, or in some villages non-existent. In 2014, UNICEF through the RACAP/SL facilitated the construction of a hand pump to deal with the challenge, however this hand pump had broken down and was in urgent need of repairs. Also, at the peak of the dry season, the well would dry up completely. Thus, the residents of Baoma, including women and children, were relying on a running stream located approximately a mile away from the village as their main source of water for all purposes. This water source is unsafe and unprotected and exposed the villagers to many water-related problems.
The women and children were being exposed to diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid, which had been reported by the Pujehun District Health Management Team (DHMT) as highly prevalent in Baoma. The children were also affected by skin infections such as scabies when they were bathed in the water. Additionally, children walking to the stream to fetch water ran the risk of being bitten by snakes, as the foot path leading to the stream is often covered in brush.

Before the project:

Damaged hand pump well to be rehabilitated	A nursing mother fetching water from an unprotected source

Project Overview:
Concerted efforts were made by all parties concerned to implement the project. An inception meeting was held among community stakeholders, community members, and concerned Government ministries in Baoma village in October 2019. At the meeting, facilitated by RACAP staff, the objectives of the project were explained in detail.
All locally-sourced materials, such as sand and stone were transported to the rehabilitation site by members of the community, while materials coming from outside the community were procured and transported to Baoma by RACAP staff and volunteers. All the materials were of a good standard and met with the approval of all parties involved in the project. The rehabilitation and maintenance of the well, and construction of a fence around the well was carried out by hired technicians from the Ministry of Water Directorate.
The Water Management Committee was restructured by RACAP staff into a WASH Management Committee. The committee members were trained by staff of the district water directorate ministry in hygiene and sanitation promotion, including maintenance of the hand pump. The committee members, including some who have benefited from this training, are now knowledgeable in managing their water point facilities at all levels. Community awareness-raising on WASH was conducted by the RACAP team in collaboration with DHMT, and the water quality was tested by the district water directorate.

During the project:

Pump technicians and RACAP volunteers repairing/rehabilitating the Baoma Village hand pump	Training of the WASH management committee in water, sanitation and hygiene

 Main activities:
・Project Inception Meeting
・Restructuring and training of WASH management committee
・Rehabilitation of one hand pump
・Water quality test
・Monthly Community Awareness Creation Sessions
・Regular project monitoring
・Establishment of community WASH funding and local by-laws

After the project:

Complete rehabilitated well for Baoma Community	Meeting on the importance of safe drinking water by the Water Directorate

• She had 4 children and strongly expressed the happiness of the community at getting clean and safe drinking water. According to her, skin infections and other related water bone diseases will now cease to trouble her children and the Baoma community as a whole.

• He congratulated the RACAP and government ministries which played key roles in helping his community in its years-long struggle to access clean and safe drinking water. He also extends his thanks and appreciation to Japan Water Forum donors that sent money in order to provide relief to the village. He asked the entire Baoma community to offer special prayers, both Christian and Muslim, for the RACAP and JWF.

• She praised the good work done by Baoma village authorities and the RACAP, and all who had helped the community access safe drinking water. She proudly added that the training that members of the WASH management committee had received was good and timely and had increased their knowledge on how to manage their water point facility. They have also learned about hygiene and sanitation promotion at the household level, which will help drive away many illnesses, especially malaria, diarrhoea, and dysentery, from the community. However, she added a plea for the provision of 3-seater toilet facility for the community from the RACAP via the Japan Water Forum, as a way to complete the WASH system in Baoma Village.