Rwanda
The African Well fund is currently engaged in two projects in Rwanda. The budget for these projects is $15,000 US.

Ngala Health Center

Project 2 is located in the Southern Province, Nyamagabe District (formerly Gikongoro). Nyamagabe is the most disadvantaged district in the country. No natural resource, poor soil leading to poor agricultural performance, high incidence of HIV/AIDS and other tropical diseases. No water point for clean drinking water in the district except at Gikongoro, the district headquarters.

The proposed well is being constructed at the Ngala Health Center located in Ngala sector, about 30km east of Gikongoro. The beneficiaries will include about 25,000 local inhabitants, apart from the Health Center. The health center is the only health facility in the sector and caters for all kinds of infections/diseases. Africare is the only NGO (local and international) intervening in the area. Africare intervention is on Food Security and HIV/AIDS Prevention.

Uganda
The African Well fund is currently constructing 15 additional water wells in Uganda. The budget for this project is $23,000 US.

Ntungamo District is located in South Western Uganda. It has a semi arid climate; although the district receives rains throughout the year, it does not have adequate water sources from which simple springs can be capped. Ntungamo’s primary appropriate option for water sources is therefore hand dug pump mounted wells.

Construction of Hand dug wells will be preceeded by well site excavation into a reliably yielding aquifer, installation of pre cast concrete rings, addition of filtration material, construction of platform and pump pedestal support, dewatering to remove debris and stagnant water, disinfection and installation of the Pump. Water testing will be done on the sites before and after protection to establish the Estecheli Coli colony counts to ensure they are at acceptable levels. The area will be fenced off once the site is ready to supply protected clean and safe water all year round.

The support from the African Well Fund has reinforced the interventions of other existing Africare projects in Ntungamo District. To date, the support received from AWF has constructed 31 water sources that serve 12,400 beneficiaries. The water sources have reduced water hauling distances, and allowed mothers to spend more time on other more productive activities.

The AWF activity formed and trained water user committees, which instilled a sense of project ownership. Other Africare project activities capitalized on the increased availability of water by establishing vegetable back yard gardens, rabbit breeding centers and fish ponds along side the water sources, thus water sources are used as an entry point for integrated developmental support to communities. These activities have ultimately improved community nutrition through increased provision of protein (fish, rabbits) and the greatly needed Vitamin A from the rich green leaf vegetables.

Sierra Leone
The African Well fund is currently constructing a gravity water system in Sierra Leone. The budget for this project is $25,000 US.

The funding of this grant will contribute to Africare’s effort to increase the availability of potable water to households in selected rural communities, thereby reducing the incidence of diarrhoea and improving the nutritional status of community members, especially children.

The relative attractiveness of supporting water gravity systems is that the entire community of about 3,800 people will have access to safe drinking water in adequate quantity and good quality at significantly lower cost due to the economy of scale and use of already existing and idle assets. The rehabilitation of the water gravity system will benefit the entire population rather than the small segments of 250 people that would be served by a water well, with potential risk of contamination from the remaining segment of the population not served within the same village.

Implemented over a 12-month period and benefiting 3,800 people, the rehabilitation of water gravity systems will comprise the following activities:

1. Procure appropriate digging tools, construction materials and commodities for water gravity rehabilitation and maintenance.
2. Plan, supervise, and carry rehabilitation of water gravity system. The rehabilitation process will include the following areas of concern:
   • Replacement of all damaged and leaking pipes from the Dam to the reservoir.
   • Thorough cleaning, reconstruction, protection and chlorination of the dam.
   • Replacement of the leaking, damaged, and lost valves, pipes and tap heads.
3. Collaborate with local, international, and government partners to build capacity of community members throughout the project period.
4. Train selected health clinic staff in the operation, maintenance, and management of the water gravity system.
5. Incorporate gravity system maintenance in the health center committees’ periodic planning exercise.
6. Along with and following the establishment of protected water sources educate beneficiaries on personal hygiene, safe handling of water, and appropriate storage of water at home.

These activities will help to reduce the risk of contracting water-borne diseases by ensuring adequate safe, potable year-round water supply, thus improving the health of the target communities, as well as providing improved sanitation for vulnerable families.