DRINKING WATER DRILLING FOR SUSTAINABLE ACCESS TO WATER SERVICES FOR A GREEN, HEALTHY SCHOOL AND AN ECO-SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

SUMMARY

The project is designed to help students and villagers better understand the world around them, so that they can flourish and participate in it. It is based on the mobilization of all AMIDA SCHOOL players and the entire Q. Athénée/Loma II community. Athénée/Loma II community as part of a comprehensive approach to health, education/training, the environment and community development. It advocates access to quality education for all, soliciting external support to bring the school up to standard, and to install teachers and students in adequate conditions to enable them to acquire the necessary and relevant skills in a community that facilitates their reflection and learning for citizen involvement in sustainable development.

The project's primary aim is to meet the crucial need for drinking water supplies for schoolchildren and the surrounding population, and to improve the access, quality and sustainability of water services. It also takes into account the specific hygiene needs of girls, linked in particular to biological factors such as menstruation. Hence the proposal to: (i) build an 80 m-deep drinking water borehole and a water distribution reservoir for sustainable access to water services (sanitation, drinking, agriculture, menstrual hygiene management for girls...); (ii) build basic modern single-sex school sanitation facilities and 120 dry toilets for 120 vulnerable families living near the school site; (iii) electrify the school with solar panels for lighting, running machines and appliances, recharging cell phones, pumping water, etc. (iv) Restore the urban forest well with fruit, medicinal and purifying plants and trees, and protect the Matombe valleys in order to promote and preserve biodiversity while protecting the environment and groundwater from drought and pollution.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION

MAPROFAM was founded in 1998 in the province of Kongo Central in response to the complaints and needs of peasant and peri-urban populations, particularly in the province of Kongo Central and the city-province of Kinshasa. Headquartered in Mbanza-Ngungu (Kongo Central), the organization's aim is to provide support and guidance to farmers' organizations and families. It proposes a global approach - education/training, agriculture, health, energy and environment, and community development - through actions in favor of education for sustainable development and international solidarity.

Registered under N° F92/33.733 - N°80/046/INSPDR/DECO/ 2008, MAPROFAM is made up of a director, a program manager, a secretary and over 50 volunteers. Today, there are 152 full members throughout the country and abroad.

She has a number of achievements to her credit, the main ones being :

• Education: owner of the AMIA SCHOOL complex since 2013 (N° 090/BIS/CAB. GOUV /KC/036/2016) in Mbanza-Ngungu with 960 pupils and 27 permanent jobs.
• Agriculture : family farming, market gardening, development of agro-pastoral value chains, popularization of rabbit, chicken and pig breeding.
• Support and supervision: facilitating the evacuation of agricultural produce from farmers' organizations to city centers
• Environment: reforestation, sanitation, recycling...
• Energy: construction of drinking water sources and manual drilling of water wells

MAPROFAM works in full collaboration with local communities and all the authorities in its areas of intervention. It is a partner of the AMIDA (France/Aurillac), IDAY-RDC and SANKAA associations and platforms.^[1] (Belgium), MAPROFAM vzw (Belgium), BYB^[2]FAPDIK^[3]BERCO^[4]UPEC^[5] and IDAY-International^[6] whose members have acquired experience in community development, environmental protection, formal and informal education, family farming and animal husbandry, gender, health...

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SITUATION

Mbanza-Ngungu is a town in Central Kongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town is 154 kilometers from Kinshasa, the country's capital. Today, the town is expanding rapidly and no longer has fixed boundaries. It covers an area of 8,190 ^km2 and has a population of around 148,602.^[7] making it the province's third-largest city.

The water table in the southern part of the town of Mbanza-Ngungu has been sounded to 120 m by the DRC's Service Hydraulique Rural (SHR). The average monthly water supply by REGIDESO[8] is estimated at around 110,000^m3, where new housing estates, including the Athénée/Loma II district, are not connected to the REGIDESO or SNEL (Société nationale d'électricité) supply networks. 1% of the population has access to electricity and drinking water. The population relies on manually drilled and poorly maintained water wells for vital needs, causing water-borne and related diseases, with a high mortality rate among children. Many accidents, sometimes fatal, involving young children who fall into water wells, escaping the vigilance of parents or adults, are also to be deplored in the district.

As for young girls in particular, the lack of running water also prevents them from ensuring regular menstrual hygiene. Lack of access to appropriate infrastructure (basic single-sex school sanitation facilities) and materials affects girls' schooling and creates a climate of uncertainty/insecurity. This causes them to be absent from school for several days each month, as well as from other extracurricular or community activities, and to be the victims of mockery and social exclusion should this natural phenomenon (menstruation) catch them unawares while they are at school or in an extracurricular activity. These repeated absences affect girls' academic and entrepreneurial performance. Menstruation is often a source of anxiety for girls, due to the fear of spotting or local beliefs that may stigmatize them. School absenteeism is further exacerbated by the fact that teachers and pupils are not informed about menstrual health, making the school an unwelcoming place for girls during menstruation.

On top of this, the lack of sanitary and hygienic facilities for vulnerable families leads people to satisfy their natural needs in the wild (behind their houses or on the sides of roads, streets, avenues or in the bush). This faecal matter is then drained by rainwater into rivers, swamps and wells, polluting them in the process. Drinking and using this water for personal hygiene, washing clothes and dishes is a source of many illnesses and additional health costs. This represents a major threat to public health. In fact, there is a high mortality rate among the youngest members of the population.

Another worrying situation is that people are organizing themselves into families or communities to collect clay soil on their own land and cut down trees to build kilns to produce fired bricks and build houses. The demand for wood energy is also very strong, and growing in line with the demographic explosion. These two practices are the primary cause of the destruction of the city's forest sink and put real and permanent pressure on forest and agro-forest ecosystems, since these trees are not being replaced. Hence our proposal to involve students, teachers, parents, the community and local authorities in a civic and environmental campaign for urban reforestation and protection of the two valleys surrounding the district. This will help to maintain a vegetation framework of great value for the conservation of biodiversity and the ecosystem services associated with it, as well as protecting groundwater against drought and pollution.

The lack of access to drinking and running water is a major cause of the precarious socio-economic situation of farmers in general, and of the health of Amida schoolchildren in particular (in addition to malaria), a situation which is likely to worsen in view of the remarkable population growth, the catastrophic socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the energy and economic crisis, and the fact that no parallel program is planned for the coming years.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

General objective

Contribute to improving the quality of life of the local population and schoolchildren, as well as educating them about nature and social issues relating to environmental, economic and social problems identified at school and community level.

Specific objectives

• Improve the educational environment of the CS AMIDA SCHOOL and the living conditions of the local population by installing modern basic infrastructure: basic single-sex school sanitary facilities and dry toilets for 120 vulnerable families living near the school, drilling for drinking water and electrification of the school.
• Provide electricity and water services to students and local residents to improve sanitary and environmental conditions for education, academic performance and quality of life.
• Strengthen stakeholders' capacities in the importance of water, hygiene, sanitation and their management, as well as in the treatment and monitoring of water quality in order to preserve the environment.
• Improve menstrual hygiene conditions for girls' health, development and social integration.

PROJECT RESULTS

Results for OS1[9][9

• An efficient, permanent drinking water supply and distribution system has been installed, with a 20 m³ reservoir supported by a 15 m structure and providing water to 5 standpipes.
• Separate modern school sanitary facilities are built, taking into account girls' particular needs in terms of privacy, hygiene and menstruation.
• 120 dry toilets for 120 vulnerable families are built, improving household health and quality of life
• Wastewater management: as there is no collective wastewater collection and treatment system in the neighborhood, wastewater is channeled directly into the all-water tank (built for the latrines).
• The school is electrified, providing light, security and continuous operation of the water pump and school machines and equipment.

OS2 results

• Sanitation of infrastructure and the school and family environment improves the environment, water quality and health, as well as the quality of life of schoolchildren and local residents.
• Reduction in the prevalence of water-borne diseases, simple intestinal infections and personal hygiene and sanitation, leading to a reduction in school absenteeism and school dropout.
• Reduce school and family health costs by at least 30%.
• School results are improved, as is the quality of work for teachers, young people and women.
• Reduced time and difficult conditions in the search for water, especially for women and girls, as this task is mainly assigned to them according to the cultural habits of the region.

OS3 results

• 960 students, 200 young people, 43 teachers and 180 families are sensitized and trained in issues relating to health, hygiene, sanitation, water management, environmental protection and the fight against global warming.
• Biodiversity, the ecosystem and underground water tables are protected and enhanced by capping the city's forest well and by biological cultivation activities, purifying aquatic plants and preserving Matombe's wet watersheds.
• A management committee has been set up and trained to ensure the smooth running of the project during and after its implementation.

OS4 results

• Girls are made aware of, informed about and trained in the basic rules of bodily and menstrual hygiene, and use appropriate sanitary materials.
• 20 girls from the cutting and sewing section of CS AMIDA are trained to make reusable sanitary napkins and tapes.
• Girls and young mothers adopt good menstrual hygiene practices and improve their health, physical and intellectual performance, and self-confidence.
• Prejudice based on beliefs and customs against girls/women during menstruation dissipates, reducing the trauma they experience from their male peers and the community.

Expected effects of the project

This project will have a positive impact on :

• Gender sensitivity by encouraging girls to go to school and get involved in society.
• Improving the quality of teaching
• Access to electricity services and the opening up of technical sections
• The creation of innovative direct and indirect jobs for young people;
• Reducing infant mortality rates
• Digital literacy for young people and access to technical training (IT, construction, electricity, cutting and sewing, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, etc.) thanks to the electrification of the school;
• A 15% reduction in juvenile delinquency (theft, rape, drugs, banditry, STDs/AIDS, etc.) in the neighborhood;
• Raising awareness among young people and the community of the need for a commitment to the SDGs, particularly those concerning good health and well-being (No. 3), education/training (No. 4), gender balance (No. 5), clean water and sanitation (No. 6), clean and affordable energy (No. 7), the environment and measures to combat climate change (Nos. 8 and 13).
• The support of local and national authorities for the initiative and their commitment to spreading the project model to other schools and villages.
• Impact on household income through direct or indirect income-generating activities based on services provided by plant biodiversity (market gardening, fruit, medicinal plants, air quality, etc.).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND ACTION PLAN

Maprofam and CS Amida school have benefited from financial support from the Addax & Oryx Foundation through the "Ecological Farm School" project, which is making a name for itself in the region and having an impact not only on schoolchildren but also in the community. The present project pursues these objectives to continue to ensure and improve study conditions for students and the sustainable development of the community. It is a concrete response to the new challenges facing us all: Environmental, social, economic, cultural and town-planning issues, by feeding into the teaching team's pedagogical activities and by drawing on concrete achievements within the school and the community. It responds to the main thrusts of sustainable development, and helps develop the values of responsibility, citizenship and solidarity that underpin education. It addresses environmental, economic and social issues identified at school and community level: - Quality education - Health - Girls' menstrual hygiene - Food - Water - Sanitation and hygiene - Energy/electricity - Environment/Biodiversity - Quality of life at school and in the community.

This project involves : (i) Construction of basic modern single-sex school sanitation facilities and 120 toilets for 120 vulnerable families living near the school, as part of the school and family hygiene and sanitation program; (ii) Drilling for drinking water for the school and local residents. The borehole will supply the school and the community with drinking water and running water for drinking and sanitation, and at the same time continue to develop family market gardening activities in all seasons (school garden, family vegetable garden, etc.); (iii) Electrification of the school with solar panels. Thanks to the electricity, the borehole will be operational 24 hours a day, and the school will organize other technical training courses not only for the pupils, but also for young people from the neighborhood in the evenings: IT, construction, cutting and sewing, mechanics, electricity, hotel management, techniques for processing agricultural products, and so on. This will create more manpower and jobs in the region to meet market demands; (iv) Capacity-building for stakeholders in water management and services (sanitation, drinking, hygiene, environment, biodiversity, problems of water quantity, quality and risks) and menstrual hygiene management for young girls (training and production of reusable sanitary tapes).

This project is also designed to address the food insecurity of the population and the income problems of the school and households concerned, by promoting income-generating activities (family farming, raising small livestock, growing fruit and medicinal trees on family plots, kitchen and school gardens, etc.). The project places particular emphasis on environmental protection education through various training courses and actions: organic market gardening activities, recycling, urban reforestation and watershed preservation to protect biodiversity, maintain and purify water tables...

Finally, the project will enable the target population to improve their quality of life and schooling, create a zone of socialization and channel environmental impact. Given that school is the main vehicle for socialization and integration, its contribution is all the more essential to public life, since its mission is to foster the learning of a culture of sustainable development and ecological transition, as well as knowledge and understanding of the rights and obligations of citizens. Hence the importance of creating and fostering an environment that meets educational conditions and standards.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES

To achieve the project's objectives and obtain concrete results for both direct and indirect beneficiaries, the following actions and activities are essential:

1. IEC activities: information, education, communication: the Maprofam and Amida school team and the CLD[10 ] explain the rationale behind the action to solicit the support of the target population and the participation of the services concerned on issues relating to the importance and quality of water, sanitation and the environment, etc.

A very good communication strategy will be used during the different stages of the project, so that the beneficiary population already gets into the spirit of the project, and that it really is "their project". This particular context calls for a type of communication that mobilizes all the structures involved in the project. This also makes it possible to generate and stimulate a communication dynamic between the players, which will continue after the project and thus contribute to the sustainable management of the works.

2. Capacity-building: information and training sessions with health and environmental personnel on issues relating to health, hygiene, sanitation, water management and menstrual hygiene for young girls.

In parallel with the start-up of the works, MAPROFAM will encourage the target populations to form local committees to monitor, manage and operate the works that will be set up to ensure equitable, democratic and sustainable management of the said works. This committee will maximize economic and social benefits in an equitable manner, without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. The Committee will be supervised by a Capacity Building facilitator, with a strong representation of women in decision-making bodies linked to water and infrastructure management.

• Capacity-building in water management (water quantity, quality and risk issues)
• Strengthening and developing the capacity of the Water Resources Management Authority for early warning systems (including groundwater monitoring).
• Capacity-building in menstrual hygiene management for young girls: training in basic menstrual hygiene rules; training and production of reusable sanitary tapes...
• Raising awareness of the best practices for organic crops grown on the site and in the surrounding area to avoid water pollution and to preserve biodiversity and protect the environment.
• Raising awareness of the basic concepts of combating climate change, protecting the environment and preserving biodiversity...
• Raising public health awareness: hygiene, sanitation of the school and family environment, maintenance of school sanitary facilities and family toilets...

A manual of management procedures will be drawn up as a mitigation measure for potential risks, and a campaign will be launched to raise awareness among women and men of the need to adopt good hygiene and drinking water practices.

3. Construction of sanitary and hygiene facilities and 120 dry toilets

• Build basic self-ventilated double-pit latrines (LAA) lined with brick blocks, with the required capacity in relation to the number of pupils and teachers.

- Construction of an all-water septic tank and an infiltration well

- Construction of the building for the cabins (baked brick masonry, cladding, carpentry/roofing, joinery, locksmithing, painting, plumbing (piping, toilet basins and tanks, washbasins...), water supply...

The building housing the cabins (14 for girls with 4 showers and 12 for boys with urinals and 3 showers) will be built next to the platform (and not on the slab) to facilitate the evacuation of the (full) pits every two years by a local private emptying service. But we're also working out how to set up a recycling circuit (a virtuous circle) of biennial emptying providing fertilizer from the products of decomposition. This will be coupled with an education program for the local population (taking into account local habits and customs) to involve them in handling the fertilizer thus produced.

• A small reservoir will also be set up to collect rainwater from the roof of the toilet cubicle building to build up a good supply.
• Construction of 120 dry toilets for 120 vulnerable families: dig a 2.5 to 3 m hole, lay the concrete slab, build the wall and cover with a small roof. Each family will contribute in kind (baked bricks, gravel, sand, etc.) and in unskilled labor to build the infrastructure.

4 Construction of an 80 m deep drinking water borehole and a water distribution reservoir for sustainable access to water services

The project involved the construction of a borehole with a submersible pump and a gravity-fed water supply network. The water, extracted from groundwater, is fully potable at depths of 40 meters and more:

• Application to SNHR (Service national hydraulique rurale) for a drilling permit.
• Negotiation with GITEL Services for depth survey (already carried out) and construction of the structure
• Installation and de-installation (transport of materials and equipment to site and commissioning)
• Mobilization of drilling equipment (mobile workshop)
• Drilling and installation of the water supply network: - 14″ drilling in loose rock, then in soft rock - Installation of various PVC pipes - Gravelling - Cementing of the annular space - Development of the lift well - Installation of a solar-powered submersible pump - Flow testing
• Construction of the 15 m structure to carry/support the tank
• Installation of 20 m³ water tank
• Drinking water distribution: 1.5 CH/850 W hydrophore which will run on solar panels to increase water distribution power and pressure. With the connection of 5 standpipes on an 800 m long network, more than 60 m3 of water will be served daily to at least 500 households, representing a coverage rate of 14.3%. This rate is still low, but the project can be extended and enlarged over the years to cover the entire neighborhood and surrounding area. The entire distribution network will be fitted with a safety valve to prevent the loss or wastage of water in the event of leakage to the water supply taps.
• Wastewater management: as there is no collective wastewater collection and treatment system in the neighborhood, wastewater will be channelled directly into the all-water tank (built for the latrines).

5. Urban reforestation, protection and preservation of Matombe watersheds (valleys)

Preparation of the drilling project includes an assessment of the risks associated with climate change, as well as the application of the adaptation measures suggested in the DRC's National Action Plan to combat climate change for the water sector. Adaptation measures envisaged for the project include:

• Rehabilitation of urban forest wells destroyed for fuel: nurseries, young plants, distribution of plants to families and planting, maintenance, monitoring...
• Rehabilitation of catchment areas in the Matombe valleys to promote and preserve biodiversity and groundwater maintenance: cleaning, natural construction of semi-filtering dikes, transplanting of aquatic plants, etc.
• Capacity-building and awareness-raising programs at city level to promote water conservation, potability and efficient use of this resource
• Strengthening utilities' capacity for periodic monitoring of groundwater and well levels in the impact zone and for establishing an effective water management system.

6. Site electrification : electrify the school with photovoltaic solar panels by GITEL Services

• Install 260 Wp solar panels on the roofs of two school buildings
• Install 200 AH 12 V batteries, 3500 VA/48 V converter, 60 A/150 V regulator.
• The school site covers an area of more than two hectares, part of which could be used to install additional solar panels that could generate a large amount of electricity for local residents. Sunshine is almost regular and permanent, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., peaking between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Supplying electricity to the school via solar panels will provide and ensure lighting, the operation of machines and appliances, the recharging of cell phones and other devices, the pumping of water, the preservation and packaging of vegetables and fruit, and so on.

7. Maintenance and upkeep of infrastructure, machines and equipment:

• Troubleshooting: adjustment, pump and tank cleaning, unclogging, sand removal, groundwater monitoring, module maintenance, system checks (regulator, battery voltage, converter, etc.), replacement/repair of damaged parts, etc.

PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

Beneficiaries' ownership of the project is the first asset that will encourage them to participate actively in the project's activities by getting involved in all phases of its development. The training received in capacity building and local health practices is another advantage for the continuity of the activity after the project. A business development plan will be proposed to them.

The project will offer its services to the school and the community, generating resources that will contribute to the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure: upkeep, remuneration of fountain workers and technicians, purchase of spare parts and raw materials, etc. Alongside the services produced, and thanks to the presence of electricity (solar panels), there is also a strong demand from local people for the organization of various events: conferences and debates for young people, parties, seminars, cultural activities... Parents will also be asked to make a suitable financial contribution, directly annexed to the school fees, for drinking and running water and access to the services provided by the latter as well as electricity.

The project will take into account the quality of materials, equipment and construction materials to ensure the durability of the infrastructure and the equipment to be acquired. With the support of local authorities, associations, health organizations, schools, etc., the population will be encouraged to pay a modest price for water, since it will be of good quality and potable. The impact and positive effects on health, food security (family vegetable garden and school garden), the opening up of other sections/technical training for young people thanks to electricity, the creation of jobs and sources of income, the increase in family income... will encourage the population to take ownership of the project over the long term.

A communication tool will be set up and capitalized on to stimulate beneficiaries to develop forward-looking projects. All those involved in the project will become ambassadors of the project's vision, supporting schooling and the well-being of the local population, particularly the health and menstrual hygiene of young girls. Anyone who passes on knowledge will become an active agent in favor of sustainable development. The project also aims to get the authorities involved, so that steps can be taken to disseminate the project model to other schools and communities in the region. We will seek to convince the authorities based on the impact in terms of school performance and students' health and social well-being, especially menstrual hygiene for young girls. The sewing workshop will extend its training to other young girls and mothers, and will eventually develop more open sewing activities, given the scale of demand in the community.

MONITORING / EVALUATION

A Project Steering Committee will be set up, comprising a Senior Coordinator (MAPROFAM), the school principal, a teacher and a pupil, two representatives of the public administration (Deco and Environment, SNHR), the CLD president, a parents' committee representative, the district chief and a representative of the cell and street chiefs. This being the case, the project will be subject to permanent and regular monitoring under the supervision of the project coordinator. At each stage of the activity, an evaluation will be carried out to assess what has been done and what needs to be done in order to manage the project properly and achieve the expected results in line with the objectives set.

Since it is the school and local community members themselves who will have been involved in setting up the project, they will play a vital role at this stage, pointing out the project's organizational, technical, academic, ecological, economic and social difficulties and successes, and suggesting improvements in the light of the problems they have encountered in carrying out project activities.

At each quarterly evaluation of the project, a team made up of representatives of all the players and beneficiaries, members of the steering committee and the project coordinator, as well as members of the community, will give their opinion on the project and, if necessary, suggest other actions that could be implemented to ensure the project's continuity. At mid-term and at the end of the project, narrative and financial reports supported by images (photos, videos, testimonials, etc.) will be drawn up and sent to the King Beaudouin Foundation to report on the project's progress, results and impact.

A monitoring plan will be drawn up during the project's implementation to measure the effectiveness of the measures adopted for its smooth operation. Monitoring and reporting procedures will ensure early detection of conditions requiring mitigation or reassessment, and will provide information on the progress and results of project activities. A maintenance follow-up sheet will be kept by the maintenance technician.