CKC wells provide water to over 16,500 people in Gemena

Animata waiting for her jug to fill

Animata used to have to go 3 kilometers per day to get water for her family and she would do this 3 times a day.  Since the deep well water system in the Saza neighborhood has come online she now only has to go about 200 yards to get clean, safe water.  It costs her 150 Congolese francs or about $.16 for two 25 liter jugs of water.  Her family uses 4 jugs per day.   She told me that she wants to come here because the water is good and clean, not like the water she used to get from the stream 3 kms away.

Marie’s story is similar.  She too would walk 3 kms to get water.  Here you see her taking off with the 25 liter jug, which weight about 55 lbs, for her house while also carrying her toddler.

103 cubic meter tank (~26,000 gal) and solar array

Thanks to the Ledia Project which is supported by Covenant Kids Congo powered by World Vision, 2,550 households in the Saza neighborhood of Gemena now have daily access to clean, safe water.  Taking an average of 6-7 people per household, 2,550 households is over 16,500 people who now have access to safe water.

Two of 3 planned deep wells have been completed.  Water from each well is distributed through a system of 8 water kiosks.  The installation team buried about 3,500 meters of pipe 32” deep to connect the kiosks.  Each kiosks is in a family’s yard and operated by them.  As a thank you or “payment” to the family they receive several bidons of water free each day.

A third deep well is planned, but not yet completed.  One company tried drilling, but hit rock they could not go through and the well capacity was not adequate.  WV is working with another company that has more powerful equipment to redrill the well for the system.  Each of the systems is solar powered.

This woman is the president of one of the water management committees

Each well and distribution system has a management committee.  Think of your local water utility company on a much smaller scale.  Being trained by World Vision staff the committee is responsible to determine their budget for the well’s operation.  During our visit the woman president of one of the committees described to us the work they are doing.  She emphasized that their recognition that the system needs to be sustainable, that they need to plan now for it to last for a long time.  The money they collect is deposited in a bank account and kept for maintenance.   She described how instead of talking about selling water, they are calling the fee collected a contribution for maintenance.  They are working in the community to educate the population about why a maintenance contribution is important.  I commented to one of the visitors that hard and complicated as it was to install the well and distribution system, this “soft” work is the most critical and hardest.