The project

Situation on site

The project is realized in partnership with the Forikolo Action Group, of which the associations Forikolo e.V. from Leipzig and Wasser ohne Grenzen are members. Hannes and Steven from WeWater know the local project partner, Klaas Witte, from their times together at Technik ohne Grenzen. The team has implemented projects together in West and East Africa. Thus, the WeWater team can rely on old contacts and reliable partners. 

In a first trip in 2018, the project participants Prof. Dr Peter Fritz and Klaas Witte evaluated the sites in Sierra Leone belonging to the resident NGO Forikolo Action Group and found out that almost all wells are contaminated with human fecal bacteria. The main cause is inadequate sanitation. This means that there are either no toilets at all or simple latrines or hutches, which is why feces and urine get into the groundwater. The Mathen Educational Center (MEC), which is currently being established, has been training WASH technicians since September 2022. After graduation, the graduates pursue the goal of expanding the sanitation infrastructure as so-called satellite projects in the villages. Since then - and until now - the water is undrinkable.

Project implementation

To remedy this, filters are already in use at the schools, which, like those from WeWater, use ultrafiltration membranes. Nevertheless, numerous locations remain without drinkable water. For this reason, the filters from WeWater will be used as a supplement. As a temporary mobile water filter, drinking water can be provided for daily school needs. As soon as the satellite projects are implemented in the villages, the filters can be integrated into a water supply system.

It is planned that the following 4 schools will be equipped with 4 filters:

• Kumrabai: Primary school with approx. 400 children. In colonial times, the regional chief resided in this village. In addition, the colonial master came here for land visits. People were also enslaved in this place.

• Mathon: Primary school with 300 children, far away from any infrastructure. Most families finance themselves through subsistence farming.

• Barbara: Currently under construction, this is a junior high school with 250 young people. This village is located on a river port and is a trading post for neighboring Guinea to the north.

• Bomiya: This is a small primary school with 150 children and one of the poorest villages in our project region.

All locations are in Forikolo Action Group's project region, Lokomasama Chiefdom in the Portloko region of northwestern Sierra Leone. All locations can be reached within about one hour from the local office.

Donations

WeWater gUG
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
IBAN: DE90 3702 0500 0001 6026 01
BIC-/SWIFT: BFSWDE33XXX

Please enter your first and last name and the purpose of your donation (water filter Sierra Leone).

Sustainability

The filters will be distributed to the Forikolo sites in a first run and operated by the schools on a daily basis. The association's team will check the use of the filters by the users at regular intervals. Once the water lab is open, water samples will be analysed and shared with WeWater. The MEC's satellite projects will not make the filters obsolete, but will integrate them into the emerging infrastructure.