Royena Bana Village Well Repair

On Sept. 6, 2011 Bank On Rain staff (Ken Blair, Gail & Mike Williamson, Emily Berg) accompanied Idris Kamara and staff of SFYDP and Rajesh as part of site visits to 7 sites where SFYDP have completed or proposed projects. Royema Bana Village (N8.50613, W12.43124) was an excellent example of the Community-Led Total Sanitation program (CLTS) developed by SFYDP in which villagers are trained in the benefits of latrines for every household as a first step toward improved sanitation. In this village total compliance had been achieved (ODF = Open Defication Free). SFYDP had trianed several of the villagers in well maintenance and repair, and these technicians had fixed several broken wells installed and abandonded by other NGO's. We met 3 of the well technicians and visited repaired wells here and in another village 1 mile away (N8.51905, W12.43036) where another well has been repaired by the villagers themselves. Again, this village had installed on their own latrines at every household with resulting elimination of flies, odor and reduction in water-borne illness. Idriss and his team have done a remarkable job in these villages in implimentation of the CLTS concept.

The next phase seems to be establishing a fee-based system whereby the individulas trained in well repair can be compensated for the work they now do on a voluntary basis.