Improved access to drinking water, sanitation and Establish Agri-Development Center in Taiama Village
Sierra Leone has water. Over 195 inches of rain falls per year along the coast, making it one of the wettest places on earth. But in the dry season from December through May, residents of Taiama in the Southern Province, Moyamba district are often forced to walk long distances in search of clean, reliable water. This was not always the case. The River Taia - which flows through Moyamba District - once filled the water storage facility that supplied water to the community before being gutted during the Civil War that ravaged Sierra Leone from 1994 – 2002. Today, it stands as a harsh relic of the conflict that continues to claim lives through hundreds of cases of water-borne diseases. The residents who once had access to clean water throughout the dry season must now rely on contaminated open water sources that provide the majority of water for the people of Taiama.
Water is fundamental for life, but clean water is fundamental for growth and prosperity. Poor sanitation and water contamination are key disease vectors in Sierra Leone, hindering development due to high costs in medical treatment, diminished productivity, and lives lost. Disease prevention requires access to clean water, sanitation, and public health awareness and education.
MSAL believes that by addressing water, sanitation and health issues first it can allow communities to move beyond the daily stresses of finding clean water and fighting easily preventable diseases. As such MSAL, through its Development and Agricultural Center as well as project WORC, will work to make appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) technologies, products, services, and education programs available to the community. The project will first focus on the Taiama village in the Moyamba District of Sierra Leone. The initial step in this program is establishing a demonstration site which will serve as the MSAL headquarters as well as a demo-site for demonstrating project-appropriate activities and facilities, such as rainwater harvesting technologies, sustainable farming practices, clean functional toilets, etc. The site will also serve as a community engagement and education center as well as an agricultural research and education center, possibly with ties to Njala University and other institutions for agricultural development.
From this established Development and Agricultural Center, MSAL will move forward with the WASH portion of the WORC project, helping the community decide and implement water collection and storage solutions, sanitation facilities (like toilets and hand-washing facilities), and any other water, sanitation, and health related solutions that are found to be necessary and appropriate for the community. Along with these solutions, MSAL will engage the community with an educational component to increase awareness, establish buy in, and help ensure the success of the project. Community leaders will be critical in the educational component.
Once established in the community, WORC will proceed to provide appropriate technologies in irrigation, cultivation, and water efficiency (ICE). ICE will foster sustainability of WASH solutions and expand into food security and income-generating solutions, giving the communities a means to secure their food sources and generate additional income through increased production using sustainable methods. Techniques that improve water efficiency and reuse wastewater will be applied to significantly extend the productivity of limited water resources, particularly in the food value chain, where water-saving benefits can have multiplier effects at various levels of the economy. Effective water capture and storage systems will be critical for extending the seasonal availability of water supply during the rainy season (May to November).
Techniques applied in both WASH and ICE will be community-specific, drawn from a series of existing techniques that are best suited to the Taiama village. The program’s goal is to develop a sustainable village model that can address the many challenges facing poor and vulnerable rural populations in Sierra Leone. These challenges include preventing the spread of waterborne illnesses, improving sanitation and hygienic behavior, and developing solutions that engage the community to ensure reliable and safe access to clean water. MSAL will also focus on technologies that are practical and maintainable by the community.
One main educational activity that will be essential for the success of the overall project is the “Community Water Champions” program, which puts community members through a long-term and multi-faceted educational program, where they will graduate with the relevant WASH and ICE knowledge to help disseminate the awareness throughout the community and create models within their neighborhoods. Another essential component to the longevity of all of MSAL’s programs is its work with a local community-based organizations; MSAL will identify an appropriate local organization and help to build the organization’s capacity and guarantee its sustainability. The organization will be expected to take over WORC-related facilities and activities when MSAL is ready to expand access to another community. This way, MSAL ensures that its work will be continued and sustained through a local partner.
Water is fundamental for life, but clean water is fundamental for growth and prosperity. Poor sanitation and water contamination are key disease vectors in Sierra Leone, hindering development due to high costs in medical treatment, diminished productivity, and lives lost. Disease prevention requires access to clean water, sanitation, and public health awareness and education.
MSAL believes that by addressing water, sanitation and health issues first it can allow communities to move beyond the daily stresses of finding clean water and fighting easily preventable diseases. As such MSAL, through its Development and Agricultural Center as well as project WORC, will work to make appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) technologies, products, services, and education programs available to the community. The project will first focus on the Taiama village in the Moyamba District of Sierra Leone. The initial step in this program is establishing a demonstration site which will serve as the MSAL headquarters as well as a demo-site for demonstrating project-appropriate activities and facilities, such as rainwater harvesting technologies, sustainable farming practices, clean functional toilets, etc. The site will also serve as a community engagement and education center as well as an agricultural research and education center, possibly with ties to Njala University and other institutions for agricultural development.
From this established Development and Agricultural Center, MSAL will move forward with the WASH portion of the WORC project, helping the community decide and implement water collection and storage solutions, sanitation facilities (like toilets and hand-washing facilities), and any other water, sanitation, and health related solutions that are found to be necessary and appropriate for the community. Along with these solutions, MSAL will engage the community with an educational component to increase awareness, establish buy in, and help ensure the success of the project. Community leaders will be critical in the educational component.
Once established in the community, WORC will proceed to provide appropriate technologies in irrigation, cultivation, and water efficiency (ICE). ICE will foster sustainability of WASH solutions and expand into food security and income-generating solutions, giving the communities a means to secure their food sources and generate additional income through increased production using sustainable methods. Techniques that improve water efficiency and reuse wastewater will be applied to significantly extend the productivity of limited water resources, particularly in the food value chain, where water-saving benefits can have multiplier effects at various levels of the economy. Effective water capture and storage systems will be critical for extending the seasonal availability of water supply during the rainy season (May to November).
Techniques applied in both WASH and ICE will be community-specific, drawn from a series of existing techniques that are best suited to the Taiama village. The program’s goal is to develop a sustainable village model that can address the many challenges facing poor and vulnerable rural populations in Sierra Leone. These challenges include preventing the spread of waterborne illnesses, improving sanitation and hygienic behavior, and developing solutions that engage the community to ensure reliable and safe access to clean water. MSAL will also focus on technologies that are practical and maintainable by the community.
One main educational activity that will be essential for the success of the overall project is the “Community Water Champions” program, which puts community members through a long-term and multi-faceted educational program, where they will graduate with the relevant WASH and ICE knowledge to help disseminate the awareness throughout the community and create models within their neighborhoods. Another essential component to the longevity of all of MSAL’s programs is its work with a local community-based organizations; MSAL will identify an appropriate local organization and help to build the organization’s capacity and guarantee its sustainability. The organization will be expected to take over WORC-related facilities and activities when MSAL is ready to expand access to another community. This way, MSAL ensures that its work will be continued and sustained through a local partner.
Join MSAL to provide
Access to clean, reliable, cost-effective water and sanitation services improves public health, educational opportunity, and economic advancement resulting in longer, fuller, and more productive lives.
Your support will start this project!
Access to clean, reliable, cost-effective water and sanitation services improves public health, educational opportunity, and economic advancement resulting in longer, fuller, and more productive lives.
Your support will start this project!
The Mid South Africa Link in partnership with The Pediatric Mission Team sponsored by First UMC and led by member Robert Hill had a very successful medical mission to Sierra Leone.
Robert Hill reported that over 500 children were treated during the 10-day trip. The trip was an ecumenical collaboration of several denominations who provided financial as well as medical resources. Included in the mission was a visit with the Resident United Methodist Bishop of Sierra Leone, John K. Yambasu.
Volunteers In Mission (VIM) is active at Frist Church. Once or twice a year, for the last several years, we have been sending teams of volunteers to Sierra Leone, Africa in collaboration with Mid South Africa Link (MSAL) local volunteer team to help coordinate the work of the VIM Team. Sierra Leone was involved in a long, bloody civil war in the 1990's which left the country devastated. It is currently ranked at the very bottom of nations ranked by the United Nations as the poorest nation in the world. Our teams provide medical care, nutrition through the Peanut Butter Project, and help with other basic needs including clean water. The trips have been in January (usually 2 weeks) and March or April (usually 10 days). We take volunteers from other churches and other areas. We seek to glorify God through.
Volunteers In Mission (VIM) is active at Frist Church. Once or twice a year, for the last several years, we have been sending teams of volunteers to Sierra Leone, Africa in collaboration with Mid South Africa Link (MSAL) local volunteer team to help coordinate the work of the VIM Team. Sierra Leone was involved in a long, bloody civil war in the 1990's which left the country devastated. It is currently ranked at the very bottom of nations ranked by the United Nations as the poorest nation in the world. Our teams provide medical care, nutrition through the Peanut Butter Project, and help with other basic needs including clean water. The trips have been in January (usually 2 weeks) and March or April (usually 10 days). We take volunteers from other churches and other areas. We seek to glorify God through.