Project
Sunga Primary School
Project Complete!
Sunga is 5 miles southwest of Tikonko Town in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. The road between Tikonko and Sunga is a dirt trail, and difficult to navigate during the rainy season. The adult literacy level is extremely low with only 5 women and 10 men able to read or write. The main source of income is subsistence farming for both men and women, growing rice, cassava, bennie (sesame seed) beans, and yams. Sunga has a Christian church and a mosque (Islam) with Christians and Muslims living in harmony. Sunga has only one water pump which is often faulty, and the school has no well, so the swamp is the source of water. Sunga is 5 miles from the nearest health facility and hosts one of RHCI’s mobile outreach clinics.
Sunga Primary School, grades 1-6, is a government-assisted school. Enrollment in September 2022 was 200 pupils as some pupils had not started attending due to agriculture work and the rainy season (At the end of the last school year, 300 pupils were attending). In addition to Sunga, enrollment includes pupils from the villages of Magbema, Mbawomahun, Gibina and Sogbehun. This school, established in 1999, is about 30-40 meters from the village and has only 2 paid teachers and one volunteer.
Sunga Primary School, grades 1-6, is a government-assisted school. Enrollment in September 2022 was 200 pupils as some pupils had not started attending due to agriculture work and the rainy season (At the end of the last school year, 300 pupils were attending). In addition to Sunga, enrollment includes pupils from the villages of Magbema, Mbawomahun, Gibina and Sogbehun. This school, established in 1999, is about 30-40 meters from the village and has only 2 paid teachers and one volunteer.
The pupils have never had a water well, and they currently trek about 200 meters to get water from the swamp to drink. The School does have separate toilets for boys and girls and a handwashing station, which are in good condition. Absentee rates are quite high due to illness, most commonly malaria, enteric infection (diarrhea) and acute respiratory infections.
This project proposal is for a water well at the primary school in Sunga, located in Tikonko Chiefdom, Bo District, Southern Province of Sierra Leone. The hand-dug well will be located next to the school and would include a pump and fencing.
Background on Sierra Leone:
Background on Sierra Leone:
- The population includes many tribes including Mende and Temne
- Capitol of Freetown was formed by freed British slaves in the early 1800’s
- Sierra Leone was a British Colony from 1800’s to 1961
- Extraction of minerals and wealth continues to this day, leaving the country in poverty.
- 1992-2002: Devastating Civil War followed by years of peace (ongoing)
- 2014-15: Ebola Outbreak with over 4000 deaths and loss of 10% of healthcare workers
- A democracy with a president and parliament
Demographics of Sierra Leone:
- Population: 8 Million
- Average age 18
- Literacy: 35% for women; 51% for men
- Human Development index: 182 out of 189 countries
- 3 doctors per 100,000 people
- Life expectancy: 55
- Maternal Mortality: 1 in 31 women
- Child Mortality: 1 in 9 do not reach age 5
H2O for Life is not a WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project implementer. We have partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) implementing WASH in Schools projects around the world. Our NGO partners match funds needed for each school project. We also have a generous donor that provides us with an interest-free loan that, along with matching funds, allows for many projects to be started or possibly even completed before total funds have been raised. In rare situations we reserve the right to reallocate funds to alternate project(s).
Questions? Ask us at 651-756-7577 or info@h2oforlifeschools.org.
