The Miracle of Simple Spring Protection

THE MIRACLE OF SIMPLE SPRING PROTECTION

By Violet Ruria

We visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo where The Salvation Army is working with many communities to access and protect local water sources.

Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has abundant freshwater resources, most of the rural population still suffer from an acute lack of supply of clean water. With only 46 per cent of the population accessing an improved drinking water source, the country has one of the lowest rates of access to clean drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa and the world. As a result of the inadequate supply of clean water and sanitation services, waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera are familiar to many of the inhabitants. This has negatively impacted the lives of the most vulnerable groups in the community: women and children.

The country is endowed with the blessing of natural springs which provide consistent water all year round. However, the springs are prone to contamination if they are not well protected and can easily become a source of diseases.

In Seke-Banza, a territory in Bas-Congo Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Salvation Army has been working with over 90 different communities to improve access and protection of water sources in rural areas. The project has supported 90 communities to construct concrete protection around their natural springs, and provided sanitation and hygiene education.

According to the health officer in charge of the Seke Banza clinic, there has been a reduction in the number of people suffering from waterborne diseases since the springs were protected.

Working with the 90 communities over four years has seen 90 natural water sources protected which now benefits over 47,000 people. The local communities were actively involved in the construction of their spring protection by providing sand, stones and other materials, helping technicians with labour during construction and providing them with food. In each of the villages, a Water Source Management Committee was established and trained in how to care for the protected spring to ensure the community continues benefitting from access to clean water.

Like other women in her village, Albertine Lumambu of Kinkuindi village (pictured below) starts her day with a one-hour walk through often unsafe paths, to fetch water from a nearby spring. Her other roles include caring for her children, fetching firewood and growing cassava and potatoes to feed her family.

In her village, diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and nematode infections resulting from poor water, sanitation and hygiene were very common. Lumambu says, ‘Every single month I had to visit the health clinic thrice taking my children for treatment.’ This was a huge burden to Lumambu since the nearest clinic is a two-hour walk from home. During times when her children were very ill, she had to carry them on her shoulders along the dusty earth road through the forest.

Lumambu knew that the cause of frequent diseases in her family was due to contaminated water. Every morning, she and other women in her community would go to fetch water from the unprotected spring since they had no other source of water. This changed, however, when The Salvation Army’s Health Change agents visited her village. They visited because the Seke Banza clinic had identified very high rates of diarrhoea cases from the Kinkundi village. Together with the community, the Health Change agents identified that the cause of the high prevalence of waterborne diseases was due to contaminated water from the unprotected spring. The community decided to change their future, and together with the Health Change agents they planned how to preserve and protect their spring.

The community in Kinkundi village provided the stones and sand and worked alongside skilled masons to protect their spring. Recalling the construction process, Lumambu says, ‘All the community members contributed their efforts. We carried the construction stones and sand because we all faced a big health problem and we needed to get a solution.’

Reflecting on how life has changed since she began to use the now protected spring, Lumambu says, ‘I no longer have to spend days walking to Seke Banza health clinic because of frequent ailments. This has saved me lots of time which I now use to tend my small cassava garden. Also, my children do not have to miss their schooling as before.’

Like other village members, Lumambu is very proud and very grateful that her village has a reliable source of safe water and their families are free from diseases. The protected spring was simple to construct, cost effective and easy to sustain, yet it has transformed many lives.

In all the 90 communities, Salvation Army officers have been able to develop deeper relationships with the communities. This has resulted in an increase in the numbers of soldiers and new corps established within Seke Banza territory.

If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s international clean water projects visit donate.salvationarmy.org.uk/water/