CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
THE DATA
Population: 4.4 million 34% without access to an improved water source 69% without adequate sanitation services 62% below the poverty line 108,000 internally displaced people Life expectancy: 47 years Infant mortality rate: 173 per 1000 live births GNI per capita: $757 USD
Sources: World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, CIA World Factbook Official statistics often understate the extent of water and sanitation problems, sometimes by a large margin. Insufficient resources for monitoring population and/or coverage as well as varying definitions of coverage and access contribute to statistical variability.
THE PROJECT
Project Location: EEF Bambari Elevage, Ouaka, CAR GPS Coordinates: Latitude:05 45.853 N Longitude:020 41.006 E People Served: 250 Report Presented To: Grace Community Church
THE COUNTRY
Ranked 159th out of 169 countries with comparable data in the United Nations Human Development Index, the Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the least developed countries in the world. Despite CARs relative abundance of natural resourcesdiamonds, gold, timber, and uraniumdecades of violence and corruption have left the country in shambles. Death rates are high for children, many of whom are chronically malnourished and vulnerable to diarrhea, malaria, measles, and meningitis. The HIV/AIDS rate is one of the highest in the region, with more than 6 percent of the adult population living with the virus as of 2008. More than a decade of armed conflict coupled with widespread violence in the northern regions of the country has left many of the nations already insufficient wells unusable. People displaced by violence often relocate to areas in the bushareas without access to basic services. Nearly eight per cent of CARs 4.4 million people are either internally displaced or living as refugees outside the country. Additionally, thousands of refugees pouring into CAR due to conflicts in neighboring Chad and Sudan have caused communities to expand overnight. There are not enough existing water wells to support even the local population, let alone a population swelling with refugees. It is not uncommon to see a community of 10,000 attempting to use a well meant to sustain 1,000.
OUR WORK IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Drilling wells in CAR is both difficult and expensive. Supplies are transported into remote areas over a thousand miles on mostly unpaved roads. Fuel costs border on prohibitive, driving up costs for drilling, pump installation, transportation, and supplies. Furthermore, throughout much of the country, teams have to drill through hard granite before finding pure drinking water. Living Water International began drilling in Western CAR after becoming aware of the immense need for clean water in the area. Since 2004, Living Water International has completed more than 530 water projects in CAR with the help of our in-country partners. While drilling new wells, teams have identified hundreds of broken hand pumps and open wells that have been incapacitated by overuse, vandalism, or warresulting in villages that have wells, but no clean water. Living Water hopes to repair 150 of these incapacitated pumps and drill 25 new wells in 2011.
GENERAL INFORMATION
When the team arrived, community members were utilizing a spring located two kilometers away from the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this, families were suffering from cholera, dysentery, typhoid and malaria. The LWI CAR team was pleased to learn of the communitys use of a latrine as this will help prevent further spread of disease in the area. During the teams stay, community members assembled a water committee consisting of four men and three women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible, provided any materials they had available, made food for the team and provided security over the water project during the night. This water committee is also responsible for collecting a well maintenance fee of $0.02 per liter. Most community members sustain their families by farming and running small businesses. The nearest school is located .2 of a kilometer away from the community whose students, teachers and administrative personnel all have access to the new, safe water source.
TESTIMONY
The LWI CAR team had an opportunity to meet with fifty-one year old community member and farmer, Catherine Tangara, who stated, The previous source of water brought a lot of sickness. We wash clothes and dishes on the river bank and make the water dirty. Well water is good for drinking because it is clean. We are very happy with the installation of the well.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WELL
Project Details EEF Bambari Elevage, Ouaka, CAR Community name, Type of location Ouaka Region/Province/District Latitude:05 45.853 N Longitude:020 41.006 E GPS Coordinates 467 m Altitude 103 m Total depth 29.99 m Static level 125 mm Diameter of casing PVC Casing material Vergnet Pump type 40 m Depth of cylinder 60 liters per minute Well yield 250 No. of people served
HYGIENE TEACHING
The community was given a poor status for sanitation. The ICDI trainers spent time in the village with the Well Committee teaching about pump care, maintenance, health and hygiene. During the hygiene education, the team addressed: Disease transmission, germs, hand washing, proper water saving techniques, healthy and unhealthy communities, how to take proper care of the pump, how to keep the water clean, community mapping, identifying good and bad hygiene behaviors and disease transmission stories.
CHRISTIAN WITNESS
The primary witness of the ICDI team was the character and testimony of the workers as they carried out their work and demonstrated compassion for the people. Before leaving the community, the team had an opportunity to share the Jesus film and oral Bible stories with community families. The team also established a partnership with the local church who will continue to cultivate community members after the team leaves the area.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
PHOTOS
Previouswatersourceusedbytheentirecommunitytomeetalloftheirwaterneeds.
Previouswatersource.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
Projectinprocess.
Projectinprocessandcommunitymembersgatheredtowatchtheteamwork.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
CARdrillrig.
Projectinprocess.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
Watercommitteememberswhoareresponsibleforhelpingmaintainthewellandwhowereprovided withaLWICARcontactnumberincasetheirwellweretofallintodisrepair,becomesubjectto vandalismortheft.
Communitymemberscollectingclean,safedrinkingwater.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
Communitymembersgatheredtocollectcleandrinkingwater.
Communitymemberspumpingcleandrinkingwater.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
Communitymember,CatherineTangara,interviewedbyLWICARandwhostated,Theprevioussource ofwaterbroughtalotofsickness.Wewashclothesanddishesontheriverbankandmakethewater dirty.Wellwaterisgoodfordrinkingbecauseitisclean.Weareveryhappywiththeinstallationofthe well.
Completedwaterprojectandcommunitymembersgatheredforhygieneeducation.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
Closeupofplaque.
Plaqueonpump.
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 35496
HOUSTON, TX
77235-5496
877.594.4426
WWW.WATER.CC
