A New LIFE Water Well in Kamakwie Town, Sierra Leone, Helps Keep Students in School

In much of Sierra Leone’s northwestern communities, water access still determines the shape of a day: who leaves early, who arrives late, and who spends their strongest hours walking instead of learning or earning. Even as national indicators have inched forward, large gaps remain between “improved” on paper and reliable in practice, especially in places where seasonal streams shrink, open wells go foul, and families are left choosing between distance and safety. 

The public health consequences are well documented. National monitoring has found open defecation remains widespread (about one-quarter of the population), and household sanitation coverage is still uneven. Research in Sierra Leone has also linked diarrheal illness more strongly to unimproved water sources, demonstrating what communities already know: when clean water is far, sickness moves closer. 

In response to this great need, Life for Relief and Development built a new hand-pump water well in Kamakwie Town (Karene District), intended to serve about 1,000 residents, including school pupils and teachers. The work began on August 20, 2025, and the well officially opened on October 13, 2025. The project was designed to replace reliance on streams, ponds, and seasonal sources that often become unsafe or disappear during the dry season. With the pump now located within the community, families can collect water for drinking and household use without the long daily trips that previously consumed hours, and, for many children, cut directly into attendance and study time. Water quality test results were recorded as part of the project closeout. 

For Mabinty Samura, a junior secondary student, the change was immediate and practical: fewer missed lessons. “Before the new well, I used to miss classes to fetch water for my mother,” she said. “Now, I have more time to study and attend school every day.” 

For Mariama Samura, known in the community as “Mammy Queen,” the shift was not only about health, but about productivity, the kind that determines whether a household can move forward. “Before, we walked long distances just to fetch water,” she said. “Now, I use that time to do gardening and other income-generating activities.” 

In rural districts, a working hand pump can look modest: a handle, a concrete base, a small gathering of containers, yet it changes the local economy of time. It reduces the daily burden on women and children, supports cleaner hygiene habits, and makes school attendance more predictable. The long-term test will be sustainability: upkeep, community ownership, and the simple discipline of protecting what is finally close. Life for Relief and Development thanked the donors and local partners who helped make the project possible and framed the well as one step in a larger push to ensure that clean water is not a journey, but a given.