This project is made possible through the partnership of Water Charity and the National Peace Corps Association. 
Location
Luchinka Primary School, Mansa District, Luapula Province, Zambia
Community Description
The community at Luchinka is rural. There is no electricity or running water. Most community members rely on farming as their source of income. Luchinka Primary School is about 48 km or about 29 miles from the Provincial Capital of Mansa. There are 219 students enrolled at the school and a teaching staff of 5.
Problem Addressed
There is a broken merry-go-round pump currently at the school, which was installed in 2009. It has rusted pipes and has not worked in years. The school has had to rely on an open spring that is over 600 meters from the school. This forces the young pupils to walk a long distance without supervision to collect water of questionable quality. This puts the youth at risk and has the potential to cause health problems. This also decreases the hours spent in school.
Project Description
A borehole will be installed to eliminate to provide a safe supply of water for the school. Boreholes are covered hand pump wells, and therefore, offer a much cleaner drinking water than an open spring. With this new source of water, students will no longer have to leave school to look for water.
The team in Mansa will remove the merry-go-round and it will be installed elsewhere for children to play on. The remaining cement slab will be demolished so that all rusted, iron pipes can be removed.
The depth of the 
borehole is 36 meters and the static water level is 10.3 meters. A pedestal and hand pump, using all PVC piping, will be installed.
Community members will be engaged in the borehole construction process and will provide sand, stone, and labor as their in-kind contributions.
Project Impact
This project will impact 224 people directly at the school, including 219 students and 5 teachers. The school will have a reliable source of clean drinking water. The distance students walk to find water will be reduced. This project is expected to improve health and sanitation at school, resulting in improved school attendance.
During community sensitization, students will perform skits and poems about water and sanitation topics, and their new water source. Students will be encouraged to plant trees and gardens near the borehole.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Emily McKeone
Monitoring and Maintenance
The schools and surrounding communities have been involved in every step of this project’s progress. It is a long-held belief, that development without community engagement is not sustainable. These boreholes have an expected lifetime of 50 years. It is the hope of many that the communities will sustain their borehole for that lifetime.
The teachers will prepare a class about water, sanitation, and proper utilization of the borehole. Course discussions included information about boiling drinking water, chlorine usage, washing hands after latrine use and proper hygiene. Following the course, students will create sketches, poems, and songs of various scenarios around water and sanitation. These students will be showcasing their creations to sensitize the community at large. The Mansa Municipal Council (the local project partner) will discuss maintenance topics and spare part prices at the community presentation.
Luchinka Primary School has formed a maintenance committee to monitor and protect the borehole. Teachers and the Parent-Teacher Association are involved in the committee and will ensure proper regulation. This committee will meet regularly to address any issues that arise. The committee will be responsible for determining hours of operation for the borehole and locking the borehole on off-hours, as well as community fees. All community fees should be safely secured for a spare parts fund.
Comments
This project accrues to the benefit of girls, and works to keep them in school. It is in the spirit and support of the official Let Girls Learn program, and we designate it LGL+.
Emily McKeone worked with Water Charity as a PCV and completed a prototype of 3 school borehole projects, including the Mansa School Borehole Project. Water Charity assisted Emily with her organization, Water for Zambia to become a Return Peace Corps Volunteer and complete 13 more school wells. This project is #3 of 13 school boreholes.
This project is part of our Water for Zambia Program. It also falls under our ongoing East Africa Water & Sanitation Program.
This project has been fully paid for by an anonymous donor.
If you like this project, please donate to the Water for Zambia Program so that we will have money available for similar projects.
This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion of this project, CLICK HERE.
