WATER FOR LIFE PROJECT “Give Me A Drink” John 4:7 Liberia Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church. Liberia Partnership Summit, Alton, Illinois Great Rivers Conference, USA — November 21-22, 2013 By Jefferson B. Knight, Program Director
Introduction/Background • The program was established in This also resulted into the 2008, following the death of an hospitalization of several of the 18-year-old epileptic man, who people. The intervention of the was drowned in the only source United Methodist Church brought of drinking water for a local a sigh of relief to the village when village comprised of over 300 a well was constructed in inhabitants. Unaware of the collaboration with a local incident, the villagers kept organization within the area that drinking from the river, but later would later inspire a nationwide discovered the decomposed body project. of the man four days later. Prior to the discovery, an outbreak of diarrhea and running stomach had affected the village, leaving many children seriously ill and one dead. 2
MISSION RESCUING GOD’S PEOPLE FROM DRINKING CONTAMINATED WATER AND RESTORING THEIR HUMAN DIGNITY BY CONSTRUCTING WELL AND TOILET FACILITIES ACROSS LIBERIA. 3
AIMS/OBJECTIVES Seek resources (funding) for the construction of wells and toilet facilities within communities throughout Liberia annually. Set up community structures and leadership that will supervise and coordinate the wells and toilets. Strengthen existing community structures and leadership for the supervision and proper management of the facilities. Mobilize, train, and educate communities on water and sanitation and other developmental initiatives. Promote the rights to access clean and safe drinking water and good sanitation facilities, health, and development at the grass-roots level in post-war Liberia. 4
Annual Financial Goal GBGM/Advance-------------------$185,000 Local/LAC/UMC---------------------$20,000 Total funds per annual------------ $205,000 Total funds raised in 2009-2013----- $350,000 Average cost for hand dug well--$3,000. Drilled machine--$5,500. Rehabilitation — $1,000. 5
Liberia Physical Setting • Liberia is situated on the southwestern corner of the West Coast of Africa. It has a surface area of about 111,400 sq. km. out of which 14% is covered by water. Liberia borders Sierra Leone to the west, Guinea to the north, Côte d’Ivoire to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. 6
Liberia Civil War Rebel Fighters The Civil War • In 1989, Liberia's 127 years of peaceful democracy was shattered when a senseless civil unrest erupted. Boys were recruited as child soldiers and girls were forced to serve as sex slaves. Over 250,000 people were killed. 7
IMPACT OF THE WAR • The devastating impact of the war was very heavy thus destroying the basic fabrics of the society, including water, electricity, etc. • People started a desperate search for water, which continues today. Few wells still exist but most are contaminated, broken, or overused. Many villagers are forced to draw water from stagnant, bacteria-infested ponds and swamps and defecate in bushes, rivers, and creeks, the open, etc. 8
Pre and Post War Water Situation • The Monrovia Water Supply System was damaged on three occasions between 1990 and 1992. It was put out of operation again in 1996 and in 2003. Recent rehabilitations have restored the system to 25% its pre war capacity of 16 million gallons per day, pumping and distributing about 4 million gallons of water per day to some parts of Monrovia and its environs. 9
Water sources • Liberia is endowed with abundant water resources, but the proper management and planning of these remain crucial to meeting the actual needs of the people. This problem is further compounded by various administrative, technical and political problems, particularly the poor state of the Liberian economy after 14 years of civil strife. 10
Ground Water • Generally, groundwater is available and can be exploited in most parts of the country in quantities needed for rural water supply, which relies on dug wells and to some extent on drilled boreholes. It is 95% safe for drinking. 11
• Information from the Water for Life Project indicates that the depth to the water table in shallow wells can be less than one meter. • Drilled boreholes can be as deep as 100 meters. 12
Accessibility of Safe Water and Sanitation • 55% of Liberians do not have access to safe drinking water while 83% lacks sanitation facilities. • 12,000 people die every year due to poor water and sanitation in Liberia. • 2,600 children under the age 5 die every year from diarrhea due to poor water and sanitation- (WHO/UNICEF) 13
Bags filled with sand are being used as filters, Monrovia. 14
A Toilet and Bathroom 15
Impact of the Water for Life Project 229 Hand pumps 40% of the hand pumps constructed in 2009-2013. are constructed on school campuses and clinics. Beneficiaries---175,000 85% of the wells are out of 12 of our political constructed in rural sub-division. communities. Hand dug well-95%. 55% are children and young people. Drilled---------5%. 16
Reduction of sicknesses related to water by 85% in those areas being serviced by the Water for Life Project. “Before, we were getting water from a river 600 meters from the village and that water was not even clean and safe. There were a lot of running stomach and diarrhea cases here. But, it has reduced since the hand pump was built right in the town”. --- Sunaway, 26, Rivercess, Liberia 17
Convertion of a Village • An entire village of 120 people got converted to Christianity in Tippita, Nimba County as a result of the construction of just one hand pump in Neibwenwein. 18
Impact “The construction of the hand pump right within our town is helping us. We no longer have to go long distances to fetch water from the creek. I am now able to go to school everyday, on time and study my lessons”. Noah-12, Bong County, Liberia. “I noticed since the hand pump was constructed here, diarrhea and typhoid have reduced and my children are well”. -Juah, 31, West Point, Liberia. 19
Rivercess County Before After 20
Tippita District, Liberia Before After 21
Monrovia After Before 22
Grand Bassa County, Liberia Before After 23
Barnersville, Monrovia Before After 24
West Point Before After 25
Johnsonville, Liberia Before After 26
Challenges The challenges include but not limited to: Inaccessible areas; Deplorable road conditions; Delay in mobilizing local materials by the communities; The raining season; Lack specific project vehicle (Pickup truck); Sometimes, the technicians have to change project site more than once due to heavy rocks underground; Inability to service the hundred of requests on a daily basis due to limited funds. 27
Deplorable road condition 28
Inaccessible areas 29
Training and Management • Training on maintenance and management of the wells play a very significant role in the over all sustainability of the facilities. 30
Installation of a new hand pump in rural Montserrado County 31
SMART Center Water Program • Smart centre focuses on • The goal is to establish a training local sustainable and organizations involved compatible supply in the water sector that sector of options which will produce and service can reduce costs of a range of new low cost communal systems and water and sanitation that are affordable for solutions. (groups of) households. 32
Smart Center • Manufacture materials locally for mainly shadow wells from the experience of Malawi and Uganda. • This is a cost effective initiative that will increase productivity of the wells in mostly low land areas. 33
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CONTACT INFORMATION • WATER FOR LIFE • ADVANCE# 3020811 • LIBERIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, P. O. BOX 1010-10, 13 TH STREET, SINKOR, 1,000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA • CONTACT PERSON: JEFFERSON B. KNIGHT • TELEPHONE # 231-886-572-914 • EMAIL: jboyeknight@hotmail.com/humanrightsmonitor@hotmail.com • Website: liberiaannualconference.org 35
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