Local family funds water well in Sierra Leone serving hundreds

Thanks to a donation from a local family who wish to remain anonymous, a school in Sierra Leone was the recipient of Action4School’s water well No.111.

According to the charity’s founder, Jimmy Bruzon, the family had always wanted to contribute something that would last and make a difference to children in Africa.

The water well cost around £2,500 and they donated £3,000, with the extra £500 paying for an inauguration event and for two hernia patient operations.

“The family called their water well EZKA and were thrilled to have been able to contribute towards supporting so many hundreds of children,” Mr Bruzon told the Chronicle.

In a letter, Mohamed Marrah, the head teacher of Advance Orphanage School, in the Bombali District in the northern province of Sierra Leone, described the well’s impact.

“Water Well 111 has greatly contributed improved the health, sanitary, hygiene and dignity of the vulnerable pupils in Advance Orphanage School and the people in the community which had improved the overall academic performance of the children in the orphanage school,” he wrote.

“Presently, Water Well 111 is serving 260 pupils in the orphanage school and over 100 people in the community where it is located. Altogether it is serving over 360 people in the school and community.”

“Next academic/school year it is expected to serve over 500 people because the enrolment of pupils in the orphanage school and the population of the community will increase.”

The water from the water well is used for drinking, cooking, hand washing, flushing and cleaning of toilet facilities and other uses in the school and in the community.

Before the well was built pupils were struggling to get clean and safe drinking water and they would either use contaminated water from the nearby swamp or walk a far distance to fetch water from unprotected neighbourhood water wells.

The head teacher explained that by the time they returned to the school, they had missed one or two lessons.

“There are times the owners of the water wells chased them away and locked their water wells,” he added.

The children’s homes had no potable water, meaning they often got sick from drinking contaminated water.

“Children were suffering from chronic stomach ache, diarrhea, cholera, worms, typhoid fever, malarial and other water borne diseases.”

The construction of the well from start to finish took three months but of that period, only 30 days involved digging work, with various factors including attaining the final water level creating intervals in the process.

One aspect of the construction of the well was the fact it was dug by hand, a process that took around nine days.

The lining and casting of concrete, fixing/installing of hand pump, fencing and painting of the water well took 21 days.

"We are very pleased to see an increase in the number of local families and individuals wanting to make a difference and paying for water wells, families saving on Christmas presents or holidays, individuals wanting to name a well in memory of a loved one who has passed away and so many more generous examples,” said Mr Bruzon.

“These wells are special to them and even more so to the many thousands of needy people that benefit from clean, safe water in the long term as a result of peoples' generosity, we are humbled by the ongoing support.”

“We understand that not everyone can donate £2,500 in one go and we therefore encourage people who wish to support our work to set up monthly standing orders as they will all add up and make it possible for more life saving wells to be built around Sierra Leone.”

“Thank you Gibraltar and thank you to the EZKA family for water well 111".

For more information on the charity’s work, visit www.action4schools.gi or contact 57631000 via WhatsApp. Donations can be made to Action4schools-Sierra Leone, NatWest Bank, Account No. 48084352, Sort Code 60-60-60.