Tom Johnson Report from Sierra Leone

 Below is an excerpt of a trip report from Tom Johnson in Sierra Leone

I brought the unit (water purifier) with me to Sierra Leone in November. My African co-workers and I set it up at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni and, during December 2006 and January 2007, we began to learn how to purify drinking water.

John Thullah, age 32, is a recovered spinal surgery patient who has regained the use of his legs after we sent him to Accra, Ghana, in December 2004 for surgical treatment. John had lost his position as a school teacher during the time that he was partially paralyzed. John is thoughtful and meticulous so I have trained him to operate the water purifier. John is now receiving a stipend through the hospital to work part time. On two days a week, John is responsible for providing safe drinking water to a growing number of “clients”.

We purchased a 300-liter tank and installed a faucet near its base. We hang the unit right on the outside of the tank which is placed nearby a hand-operated pump well. We place the supplied battery operated pump into a bucket and continuously pump water from the well into the bucket as the system operates. We test the water coming out of the purifier for ppm chlorine as it is filling up the 300-liter storage tank. When the storage tank is full, we again test the water. If the level of chlorine is less than 5 ppm, we place the unit’s pump into the tank and “purify the water to itself” until the chlorine level attains to 5 ppm. We then disconnect the leads to the battery and let the water sit with the lid of the tank set to allow air to flow out of the top. After one hour we again test the water. If the chlorine level is still 2 ppm or more we are satisfied that all the pathogens have been destroyed. After another hour we test the water in the tank again. If the chlorine level is now below 2 ppm, we consider it suitable for drinking.

We have purchased several five gallon and some 2.5 gallon storage rubbers, which had been used to import cooking oil. Once these “rubbers” have been washed out with lye and soap and rinsed well with purified water, we place them under the faucet of the storage tank and fill them. We have a revolving system where-by clients borrow our storage rubbers full and return them empty when they come to the hospital to collect full ones again. In this way, we supply the residents of a boarding school for hearing impaired students, a seminary for young men, as well as several employees of the hospital and some private citizens of Makeni town. We also provide safe drinking water for the patients while admitted in the hospital. 

The supply of free and safe drinking water has been very well received such that we want to expand our operation. We hope to be able to get funding for another unit and supplies as well as to increase John’s stipend so as to take this program from a part time to a full time operation.