Sawegbah Community (Quarter #4)

Dear Sir/Madame: We bless the Lord our God for you and for the work of your hands that has brought us this new well. Your workshop and this well will make a big difference to everyone in our quarter and all want to extend their hands to you in thanks and to our God in gratitude. It is a great opportunity you have given us to let our beneficiaries know how much we appreciate their help, especially in this time when the world is staying at home. We were hard pressed with so little water to be able to do even the simplest task of handwashing. Our prayers are that the good Lord keep you and bless you and keep you all protected now and always. Masa B Konnah

About 758 people in this sector Situated within the district of Greater Monrovia, Brewerville City, rural Montserrado county sits the community of Sewegbeh community Q#4. Sewegbeh Quarter four is proudly the major economic hub of the entire Sewegbeh community. With one primary school and a mosque the community lacks every basic social services: access to safe drinking water, electricity and a lifesaving clinic. Added to these hardships their sanitation coverage is very low poor which adds to the many outbreaks fo disease that they experience distressingly regularly. Moreover, gross school enrollment ratio as well as the literacy level of the quarter are also very below the national average. ‘‘We do not have any school in our community, the only school we know is faraway in the city of Brewerville and it is too expensive for us’’ Comfort Anmoh, a local of the community explained. The populations of the community fetch water from unprotected pond and a traditional hand dug well which frequently dries during the dry season from January to May. Basic livelihood of the community involve subsistence farming and livestock rearing. However, the existing gender roles showed that water fetching is the responsibility of women and girls. In the Health and Hygiene workshop, it was revealed that though women and girls spent a long time walking to get at the well which interfers with routine home management and leaves little time to perform productive business activities. Similarly, girls are not following their education properly and they drop out of school and fail. In critical water scarce periods, conflicts also break out at different water sources between men, women, boys and girls. ‘We use to have confusion over water issues’’ an eighteen years old girl name Bendu explained. ‘‘Conflicts arises at the well especially during dry period’’ she further continued. Many thanks to Lifewater. Everyone in the community actually felt relieved when construction on the hand pump started. Not only is the water closer, but it’s more safe for drinking. Community members will no longer suffer from dysentery, typhoid and diarrhea. At the same time, children are now be able to spend more time concentrating on their studies instead of fetching water. More importantly they are empower with the means to keep their lives safe from the Corona Virus and other water borne diseases that has long affected them. This well was drilled as part of a cooperative NGO initiative to provide safe drinking water to all Liberian's. Thanks to ''The Last Well Inc.'' for their coordination and support!