BRINGING WATER TO THE DOORSTEP OF TEMBEDU COMMUNITY

"There was no clean water supply in this community, we used to go far into the forest to fetch water from an aquifer set up by the men in the community. That water was not enough for the community and because it settles on the ground, it was with many impurities which affected the water quality. We waited for long hours for the water to gather enough to fill one bucket. We had to wait until midnight, in long queues just for a turn,” said Aminata Sheriff, in charge of monitoring the water-well in the community.

Saio Kargbo, a Pregnant woman in the community, recounted her experience. “In the early days of my pregnancy, it was difficult to get even a small amount of water to wash. When I sent my child to the forest to fetch water, it took him almost an hour to return. My heart would race with worry because of the risks involved; he had to cross the highway, to get to the other side of the road, where the aquifer it." 

“Because the water from the forest is contaminated, it caused a stomach infection and other complications that led me to being admitted to the hospital twice in a few months. But the water from the well rehabilitated by ActionAid is clean and safe and I have not experienced any health issues since I started drinking it and using it to cook,” she added.

Amie Bangura, a sponsored child shared how daunting the task of fetching water from the ‘Gboro’ (valley) was. “The journey to fetch just a bucket of water takes about an hour to and from, sometimes I got late to school because of the amount of time I used to fetch water. Also, the road leading to the aquifer is very bushy and lonely, I was always scared to go alone. On days when I get so scared, I run back home without getting the water. The only times I felt safe enough to go get water was when I went with my friends, we felt more comfortable walking in groups”.

“Since the water-well was rehabilitated in our community, all our worries have ended. I always go to school early now, we just take a few minutes from our houses to get to the well, get as much water as we want and walk back home. The water is very clean to drink and do all house chores.”

This water-well is a symbol of relief, safety, and community empowerment for the people of Tembudu. 

Call to Action

Access to clean water is the beginning of lasting change, we took the first step by supporting the community to access clean water, but the journey doesn’t stop there.

You can join us for even greater impact

For more information on how to support communities, contact: aasl@actionaid.org