Water Connections Project: Bringing Clean Water, Sanitation, and Health Facilities to Lapinu Village for a Healthier Future.
Fair Future Foundation works with Lapinu villagers to ensure clean water access, improved health, and sustainable skills development through meticulous project planning and active community involvement.
Lapinu village is 2.5 hours from Waingapu, the main town in East Sumba, and is accessible only by rough and unmaintained tracks. The village, home to 300 people, 65% of whom are children, lacks clean water, sanitation, electricity, and healthcare. Poverty is widespread, and diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and polio are constant threats.
Fair Future has worked in Lapinu for almost two years to improve living conditions. Despite efforts under the Zero Malaria and Primary Medical Care programme and the provision of basic healthcare by two health workers from Kawan Sehat, the village’s health remains at risk due to the lack of clean water and adequate sanitation.
Feasibility Study and Project Objectives
Our teams of drilling and water experts and social workers conducted a detailed feasibility study last week. This study led to the development of a project plan, including the drilling of deep wells, the construction of ferrocement tanks and Healthy Sanitation. We will work directly with villagers for over six months to implement these essential changes.
The project aims to replace unsafe sanitation facilities with clean and safe toilets to reduce soil contamination and prevent the spread of disease. Villagers will also be trained to build and maintain these structures to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Community Empowerment
A key aspect of this project is the involvement of villagers. Women, village leaders and teachers are learning new skills and spreading messages about healthy living. Visual and auditory teaching methods adapted to local customs are used to raise awareness about hygiene and nutrition.
The introduction of clean water will have an immediate impact on education. With water systems in place, young girls can attend school instead of spending hours collecting water for their homes. Healthier children mean less absenteeism, leading to better educational outcomes for the entire village.
Medical and Social Impact
With clean water and sanitation facilities, we anticipate significantly reducing infection rates and deaths from preventable diseases. Our medical teams collect health data from villagers, which will be monitored to track improvements and shared with local health authorities.
Fully enclosed toilets provide privacy and security for women and girls. In addition, vegetable gardens close to homes aim to improve nutrition in a community where malnutrition affects up to 80% of children.
Building a Sustainable Future
This project aims to build a sustainable future for Lapinu. Villagers will gain valuable skills that can be used to replicate these facilities in other communities, spreading the impact of clean water and sanitation throughout the region.
This project will hopefully begin in January 2025 and last for six months. During this time, our teams will work with the community daily, following detailed plans that include interactive maps and timelines. This collaboration will ensure that villagers receive the facilities they need and the knowledge to maintain them.
Conclusion
The Water Connections project is a humanitarian and medical intervention to transform the village of Lapinu. By providing clean water, hygienic toilets and health education, we will help this community thrive. Together, with the involvement of villagers and supporters, we can create lasting change and give the children of Lapinu a future free from preventable diseases.
Today, September the 22nd, 2024 – Alex Wettstein
50 original images on this project study - Water connections in Lapinu - Click here
Clean water is the foundation of health and dignity. These images show why urgent action is needed to transform lives in Lapinu
Photos from Lapinu Village highlight the challenges of living without clean water and sanitation, emphasizing the need for action through the Water Connections project.
In Lapinu Village, located in East Sumba, daily life is a constant struggle for survival. This extremely remote community of 300 residents, predominantly children, confronts overwhelming challenges. Lacking essential access to clean water, electricity and basic sanitation facilities means families must depend on unsafe and contaminated water sources that perpetually endanger their health and lives.
This gallery, featuring 50 photographs, vividly captures the narrative of resilience and adversity. The images depict women and children trekking kilometers under a relentless sun to gather water that is scarcely potable. This collected water, frequently murky and brimming with bacteria, often results in diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever, and skin infections. Children are particularly affected—missing out on education opportunities while being debilitated by preventable illnesses—and thus deprived of their potential for growth and development.
The Fair Future Foundation has carried out a comprehensive feasibility study to launch the Water Connections Project in Lapinu. This project intends to ensure sustainable access to clean water and essential sanitation facilities. With complete certainty of locating water at 40 meters depth, we plan to drill a deep well and equip it with a solar-powered pump. The collected clean water will be stored in ferrocement tanks that each hold up to 5,000 liters and distributed via an HDPE pipeline network.
“Safe and readily available water is important for public health, whether it is used for drinking, domestic use, food production or recreational purposes.” – World Health Organization, 2019.
This project extends beyond mere infrastructure; it’s centered around dignity, health, and hope. Access to clean water will revolutionize the lives of Lapinu’s children by decreasing instances of waterborne diseases, enhancing nutrition, and enabling students to go back to school. Additionally, a proposed handwashing station near the school aims to educate on hygiene practices and curb infectious disease transmission.
The gallery highlights the stark reality and the pressing need for change. It portrays families resolute in their quest to survive against all odds, embodying the hope that this project symbolizes. With your help, we can provide clean water, better health outcomes, and a future free from preventable hardship to Lapinu.
Access to clean water is essential; it forms the basis of life, health, and opportunity. By working together, we can ensure it reaches Lapinu.
Make a difference by donating today. (Select Water Connections Programme)
We cordially invite all captivated by this story to explore our photo gallery, witness this extraordinary effort, and further engage with our mission through our Instagram account.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – The 8th of January 2025
