Africa -- World Water Day 2007
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Water is fundamental to the very existence of life. Sierra Leone has been described as the wettest country in West Africa with the highest annual rainfall. This makes the country unique with many water sources.Men test water from a newly constructed well in Sierra Leone.
This fact does not make the country free from poor water sources. The problem is compounded by the lack of long term maintenance and/or destruction of existing facilities in many rural and urban towns during the war. The majority of people in the rural areas rely on water collected from rivers, pools, shallow wells, springs and swamps. Water is often polluted causing typhoid, cholera, dysentery, worms and parasitic infections.
This fact does not make the country free from poor water sources. The problem is compounded by the lack of long term maintenance and/or destruction of existing facilities in many rural and urban towns during the war. The majority of people in the rural areas rely on water collected from rivers, pools, shallow wells, springs and swamps. Water is often polluted causing typhoid, cholera, dysentery, worms and parasitic infections.
CCF-Sierra Leone has been working to address this issue of water sanitation.With support from the Sky Siegfried Fund, CCF constructed 26 hand pump wells for 26 health huts in these communities. It immensely increased families’ access to safe drinking water. It is estimated that a total number of 15,929 children and their families are accessing these water sources.
UNICEF and CCF are working on partnership proposals for constructing 16 hand pump wells and 16 ventilated improved pit toilets for 16 community schools in Bombali and Koinadugu Districts. It is hoped that this venture will improve the health and sanitation situation of school going children and other beneficiaries in these communities.
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