Outlines of the project
・Organization：Wealth Health and Education for Empowered Life (WHEEL) South Sudan (#210)
・Country/Area: South Sudan/ Belle Village Bungu County Central Equatoria State
・Project period: October 2019 to March 2020
・Number of beneficiaries:1,998 (819 women, 333 men, 846 children)
・Cost: $1,197($992: JWF funds and $205: WHEEL)

South Sudan

Background:
From June 1st to 3rd 2019, WHEEL conducted an assessment in Bungu County, and found that Belle Village, a community of more than 2,000, had only one borehole equipped with a hand pump, which was nonfunctional. The borehole was located next to Belle Village Primary School, which had depended on it as its main source of water before the September 2016 conflict. The community had been drinking water from an open stream since returning in April 2019 from displacement resulting from the conflict. 848 schoolchildren depended on a nearby stream which was exposed to fecal contamination and was unsafe. A bacteriological test of water from the stream indicated positive for E.coli. This confirmed data obtained from Belle Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) showing that, “70% of disease in this community is diarrhea, typhoid and least is malaria”, a result highly attributed to unsafe water from the stream used by the community for drinking and cooking.

Before the project:

WHEEL staff and community member  in Belle village	Belle Village Borehole situation  before rehabilitation

Project Overview:
A project inception meeting took place at Bungu County headquarters, and the project was introduced to the community at Belle Village Center, involving five local leaders. The two inception meetings provided a path for the project and work began. Belle village borehole was rehabilitated and now the community has daily access to clean, safe watery. The rehabilitation involved major and minor repairs, complete platform reconstruction and drainage works to avoid water logging around the access point, especially in the school compound.
A water user committee made up of twelve members (9 women and 3 men) was formed and trained in hygiene for two days. They meet once a month to evaluate their work. One hand-pump mechanic was also fully trained in managing the borehole when it breaks down. He is a member of the water user committee.
A project evaluation meeting involving mainly women and community leaders was held in March to determine the impact of the project and its shortfalls.

During the project:

Project inception meeting  with community leaders  at Belle Village Center	Water user committee members participate in water treatment process using chlorine

 Main activities:
・ Project inception meetings with stakeholders
・ Repair and rehabilitation of Belle Village non-functional borehole
・ Forming and training water user committee
・ Training one hand pump mechanic
・ Project Monitoring
・ Project Evaluation

After the project:

Water user committee member  after two-day training	School children access safe and clean water after rehabilitation

Mrs. Joyce Abraham  (33 years old)

• Thank you Japan Water Forum, for giving us clean and safe water. We women are really happy because you have saved our lives and the lives of our girls from predators who attack women and girls at the water access point. We are really happy. Thank you so much to the Japanese people.

 
Mrs. Akite Christine Pita (20 years old)

• I’m excited and happy. This is my first time to attend training, it’s so interesting and you learn by doing, not just listening, how to treat dirty water so it becomes clean, proper hand washing to prevent cholera, and how to maintain the water source. Suk- ran sedit (Arabic for thank you so much) JWF for making me a leader in my community and above all for saving our lives with safe water.

• Thank you very much Japan Water Forum, we now have water nearby for bathing. We girls will not be ashamed any more, and will never again lose our sisters to rape because of water. Thank you again and again JWF (crying…).