Dear Sir/Madame, 

With full and joyful hearts we all wish to extend to Lifewater and the Hygiene team and all who helped bring our community this new safe water well. We were at the point of despair and you have come to bring us hope and put us on the road to a better life.  Thanks is so little when it is compared to how you have helped with your teaching and your hard work. 

As I write this letter, I am reminded of a conversation I had with one of the village women.  She was so pleased that there would be no longer late nights when it was finally her turn to draw water from the old well, as the amount of water was low and the quality very poor.

We also wish to state that we will strive to take good care of the pump as you have instructed us and to call you right away if there is a problem with it that we cannot fix.

Bless you for caring and sharing in this time of need.

Valentine Richardson

Block leader

Whenever a community receives access to safe drinking water, everything changes; so is was in the Waterside Community Quarter 2.  This large village is located at the far end of rural Virginia lower Montserrado County, Liberia.  

‘‘We once access our drinking water from the river’’ old lady Garmah said. With not a single school or church open in the community because of COVID-19: the need for safe drinking is more needed then ever.  Unlike Waterside Community Quarter’s three, Waterside Community Quarter 2 has a very high percentage of women and children which existing gender role dictates the task of fetching water. ''We have cried and cried and no one has ever helped us'' the Quarter chief later said. Though the community derive name originated because of close proximity to water, this part of the district has always had frequent water crisis according to residents.

The main source of livelihood in the community surround fishing from the waterside which the community derive its name and some small scale business. ‘‘Many times our politicians have promised us a hand pump but have all let us down’’ a lady name Jenneh Kartuah added.  However, by the arrival Lifewater in the community that was once on the path of waterborne disease epidemic is now flourishing, promising hope for new life curbing the very often outbreak of waterborne diseases completely.

The installation of the hand pump has also reduce the long travel women and girls spend fetching water from unprotected water sources to a more safe drinking water from total of 3-4 hours to an approximate time frame of 30 minutes. ‘‘We are very happy and thankful to Lifewater’’ Mother Kieimah said. ‘‘We used to fetch water two to three times a day losing the energy needed to perform other household chore''. She further mentioned. Similarly, girls are now following their education properly and they do not drop out and fail in their schools. Now there is never a critical water scarce period, when women were forced to stay half of the midnight at the existing water sources there is continuous access to clean water source with the assurance of timely repair in the case pump breakdown.

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!