Clean water
is one of the most persistent problems in the developing world today. More than
a billion people on our planet have absolutely no access to any clean water.
Having clean water is another crucial step towards development for many third
world countries. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from water-related illness, and
this is the leading cause of death for children under 5. Fortunately, over the
past five years, Khadarlis for Sierra Leone has worked hard to provide access
to clean water for the villages it services.
In 2008, on
the organization’s second trip to Sierra Leone, we built our first water well
in Jimmi. The establishment of a well gives access to clean, safe water, which directly
impacts the health of the community. When children live longer, they are able
to attend school longer, and grow up safely to become productive members of
their communities. On top of that, a reduced mortality rate, especially among
children, helps to create more stable family structures, providing a good
foundation for further reform.
On
Khadarlis 4th trip to Sierra Leone, in 2009, we conducted tests and
evaluations to check the quality of the supply system in Jimmi (as well as the quality
of the water). This confirmed the effectiveness of the system design in Jimmi,
and allowed Khadarlis to install their 2nd water well – this time in
Senehun.
These are
the only 2 water wells Khadarlis has been able to build to date. During the
trip in 2011, we were able to perform some maintenance on the water supply
systems to help ensure the quality of the water it was producing. The next
steps in water work for Khadarlis really revolve around money. Currently we are
attempting to find donors and apply for grants to raise the $5,000 we need to
establish a third well in Sierra Leone. If you are interested in helping
another community take a huge step towards becoming a safe place to live, you
can find donation information at http://khadarlis.org/.
Khadarlis has made huge progress towards making clean water a reality for all
people in Sierra Leone, and they will continue to do so as we head into the
second half of 2012.
Marisa N.
Volunteer Blogger | Khadarlis for Sierra Leone
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