Conclusion Of Foni Jarrol District Rehab Tour Phase-2

Conclusion Of Foni Jarrol District Rehab Tour Phase-2

West Coast Region, The Gambia

Happiness everywhere. That is the feeling after the completion of every water project

Foni Jarrol is one of the nine districts of The West Coast Region, which is located to the south of the Gambia River in the southwest of the country. Foni Jarrol is in the far east of the region, between Foni Bondali and the border with Senegal. The district is widely dominated by the Jola tribe and it is well known for its traditional cultural festival called ‘’Futampaf’’. This is a Jola traditional initiation ceremony which dates back centuries ago. According to oral history, the founders of Jarrol were the ancient Bainunka tribe. 

The district, along with other districts bordering Southern Senegal, has played host to thousands of refugees fleeing the Southern Senegalese region of Casamance’s crisis which saw fighting between Senegalese forces and Cassamance separatist rebels. This has had serious difficulties both economic and social affecting the district, among which is the scarcity of clean drinking water. Environmental issues are still persistent due to illegal logging causing mass deforestation within the district. 

OUTCOME 

The second phase of this project has been successfully completed thanks to Water Charity and its local partner Working Water The Gambia (WWG). This is part of a series of projects launched under the Water for Everyone Initiative. The project mission was to improve water access and sanitation conditions across 5 villages in Foni Jarrol District by rehabilitating handpumps, installing new ones where necessary, and providing hand washing stations to improve sanitation and hygiene in the communities of WASSADU VILLAGE, NIORRO JARROL VILLAGE, JOREM DRAMEH KUNDA VILLAGE, KANGMAMUDU VILLAGE and CHEWELL VILLAGE. Thanks to the collaborative support of the villagers in all these villages, the project was completed successfully. This project provides access to clean water and sanitation to over 3,000 people 

Chewell Village

  • Elders of the community posing for the camera when the work was comoleted. They now have access to clean drinking water
  • Head of the village women’s group happily testing the hand pump after completion of the project
  • Women demonstrating clean hand washing skills
  • Head of the village Mr. Baldeh is happy with the water project in his community, here he is holding a local fan getting fresh air
  • Again all hands on deck with strength striving to give clean drinking water to communities
  • Removing old and rusty rods to be replaced with new ones
  • Collaborative work makes it happen
  • Seperating the old pipes along the old iron rods
  • Workers sharing ideas on how to proceed with works as they begin dismantling the handpump prior to the dewatering

ACTIVITIES 

The project saw the successful dewatering, re-digging of wells, installation of new German Mark 2 cylinders and conversion heads, stainless-steel pipes, rod couplings, check nuts, pedestals, axle and bearings. Concrete water troughs were built, new culverts for wells and concrete slabs. Handwashing stations were installed in all project intervention communities supplied with detergents. In partnership with The Gambia’s Department of Water Resources, quality testing and treatment was also conducted at the end of each community project. In each community, learning sessions were held on effective handwashing techniques and simple water management strategies. Communities also participated in manual works like digging, collecting sand and gravel. They also hosted workers, which assured that all materials were secured.  

Jorem Drameh Kunda Village

  • The community is celebrating clean drinking water
  • Fatou is a housewife with 5 children. She used to struggle daily to get water for her family. Here she is happily smiling
  • The smiles say it all. When there is clean drinking water, there is life
  • Ansu is a 4th grade student demonstrating how to properly do clean hand washing
  • Women demonstrating clean hand washing skills
  • These two village women sat to wait for the start of the training session on effective hand washing technique
  • Water quality testing is a key component of our works
  • Mr. Saine from Department of Water Resources conducting water quality testing after completion of the water project
  • As it rains, the guys are more determined to carry on working
  • Work in progress

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT 

  • The primary objective of this project is to provide clean drinking water and better sanitation for the people of the selected 5 villages in Foni Jarrol District as for the second phase of the project. This has been successfully achieved at the completion of the project.  
  • The Foni region has long suffered from the lack of clean drinking water. The region has been hit hard with mass felling of trees and frequent bush fires. Also, the conflict between Senegalese forces and separatist rebels in the southern Senegalese region of Cassamance has made things worse for the region of Foni as it shares a long border with Cassamance. Mass movement of refugees from the recent clashes has worsened the water crisis for communities hosting the refugees. One of the objectives of the project is to ease the pressure of the lack of clean drinking water in communities, as well as provide sanitation. 
  • One of the objectives of this project is to provide clean drinking water for marginalized vulnerable communities. Foni has a lot of isolated villages that feel abandoned and forgotten. This project has made them feel heard, socially included, and a part of humanity. For villages that lie closely on the borderline, most of the times felt abandoned due to fear as they are closer to the frontline. 
  • The project also empowers women and girls. We all know the burden women and girls bear in water collection. Statistics has shown that Foni is one of the lowest female enrolment rates in school. This clean water project will empower girls participation in school. The time spent on water collection is far shorter now for school-going girls. 
  • Another important objective of this project is to inculcate the habit of hand washing in communities. At each of the rehabilitated water sources in each community, a hand washing station is provided with detergents and also a learning session on the techniques of effective hand washing. Members of the community gather in the village square for the learning sessions. This is a tool to combat the spread of germs and other communicable diseases that could spread within communities especially after using the toilets. It also aids nursing mothers as well as children to understand the importance of hygiene and sanitation. Participation in the learning sessions was high. Community engagement was immense and enthusiastic. 
  • In the Fonis, open defecation is not as big a concern as it is in the central regions of the country. Nonetheless, another key objective of these water projects is to facilitate round-the-clock household access to water. This will steer people away from going outside to defecate. The availability of water in the households is a catalyst towards the cessation of open defecation. 
  • Another objective of these projects is to encourage women’s engagement in household-level horticulture gardening. Every rehabilitated water source includes a concrete watering trough. The water trough traps waste water from the hand pump and can be used by nearby houses for small-scale household horticulture vegetable gardening. This avoids the wastage of water and allows households to grow vegetables and enables their livestock to drink. This helps provide the households with a balanced diet and thereby alleviates the extreme poverty communities’ face especially in the dry season. 
  • Another key objective of this project is to cut down the high rate of water related illnesses in the recipient communities. Children often face the brunt when it comes to waterborne diseases. Certain households are drained of all resources when a family is struck with waterborne diseases. These water projects will lessen the burden on communities and money that would otherwise be spent on doctors or medicine can be used for food or for girls’ education instead. 
  • Setting up and training village water management committees was another objective of the project. We set up and trained water management committees in all the project communities. They help in the day-to-day management and maintenance of the water source. This will help make the project sustainable. As best practice, we ensure the committee is gender-balanced and that women have a say in the maintenance and management of the water source. Traditional women communicators known as ‘’Kanyeleng’’ are also involved in the sensitization of communities for better water management. 

Kangmamudu Village

  • The smiles are borad and bright after completion of the water project
  • Little Jainaba is excited about the water project as she gets the first taste of the first drops
  • Getting the first tastes of the water after completion of the water project
  • Sally is happy now she don’t have to travel 3 miles daily to get water for drinking and household needs for her family
  • Some men from the community happily getting clean drinking water for their families
  • The water trough helps to avoid wastage of water and it also helps household animals to have a drinking point which helps fight hunger
  • Women and children showing their effective hand washing kills after learning from the sanitation team
  • Rama is a mother of 3 and she now is happy to have the hand washing station in the community to practice effective hand washing be healthy
  • Doing water quality testing after completion of works
  • Some men from the community happily getting clean drinking water for their families
  • Removing the bad rusty pipes replacing them with stainless steel ones

BENEFICIARY TESTIMONIAL  

The excitement and happiness are overwhelming in all the beneficiary communities. Heads of villages of the respective 5 villages all expressed their sincere thanks for the project and happiness, highlighting the positive impact that these clean water projects have in their lives., the local councilor of the district Papieye Tamba who is also a health care practitioner for Sintet Health Center, heaped praises on and thanks to Water Charity. He also mentioned the social and economic importance of the water projects, as well as the tremendous importance of clean drinking water for the communities, especially in relation to the provision of education and the increased wellbeing. He also mentioned the importance and timeliness of the project given communities have experienced an influx of refugees from the Cassamance crisis. We are extremely happy about this water project. We often treat waterborne diseases at the clinic. This project will also help us in combating other communicable diseases. This is indeed joyful for the district especially my ward. Similar remarks were said by Amie Manneh and Jainaba Sonko women’s group leaders. They emphasized the tremendous importance these water projects have on community’s empowerment and secure water supply.

Alfa Barry a native of Wassadu mentioned the hardship they face by going to nearby villages searching for water, especially for those living on the outskirts of the village. Now we can sleep well and be happy, thanks to these projects, we now have clean drinking water flowing in our community. Wurry Jallow, a baker who operates a local bakery making local bread known as ‘’Tapalapa’’, also expressed delight over the water projects. I could not bake bread for days due to lack of water in my community. This has caused distress in the community and nearby villages that rely on our bakery for daily sustenance. Am happy now we have clean drinking water in our community and we are forever grateful. 

Thanks to the donors for making this project a success. 

Niorro Jarrol Village

  • With clean drinking water, children can play and enjoy life better with good growth and stay healthy
  • Clean drinking water for the community of Niorro Jarrol
  • These girls can now wash their school uniforms easily and not to travel miles daily searching for water
  • Water quality testing right after the completion of the water projects is a core pillar of our work. Clean drinking water for community
  • This water channel leading to the trough collects wastewater for animals to drink from and women do household gardening
  • The village head is happy about the hand washing station. He demonstrates his skills after learning effective hand washing lessons
  • This training session is teaching community members the effective hand washing techniques
  • Little children like this one, are usually left at home alone while their parents go searching for water. It is risky for them
  • Dismantling the hand pump
  • Work in progress as this young man anxiously waits for its completion. He desperately needs water
  • Work in porogress

Wassadu Village

  • Clean water flowing now for the community. Water is a fundamental human right that needs serious attention
  • Binta is happy now she can breastfeed her child properly instead of walking miles daily to search for water in a 40 degrees celcius hot sun
  • 11-year-old Maimuna is happy she can go back to school instead of daily long-distance walks to collect water for her family’s household needs
  • This woman is washing her vegetables nice and comfortably now thanks to the water project
  • Encouraging women and children to practice effective hand washing is an essential core for family health and well-being
  • Involvement of disabled people in effective hand washing is important. no marginalization in clean water and sanitation
  • Conducting water quality testing after completion of works
  • Collecting water samples
  • Signs of goodness with the first splashings of fresh water
  • Removing the old and rusty cylinder
  • Work in progress
  • Removing the old and rusty cylinder
  • Clearing the area from wild grass and any other dangerous snakes etc
  • Road to the village
  • Almost everyone goes out searching for water and as a result hosues are often left empty paving way for intruders
  • This household head came from the farms while her wife and kids went to collect water
  • The water project is essential for livestock enrichment as well which can help lower endemic poverty in communities
  • They set out searching for water. This takes them hours

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To see project-related videos, CLICK HERE. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.