Tappita, Nimba County – The tripartite relationship between Duke University in the United States of America, Jackson F. Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita (JFD) and the Tappita District Development Association (TADDA) is about to achieve another milestone.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
TADDA is a non-governmental organization founded by Tappita citizens in the United States to undertake development initiatives back home in their hometown.
Since the three institutions became connected three years ago, Duke University in North Carolina has made four visits to Tappita that have led to a collaboration that will see JFD and thirteen clinics within Tappita District benefit from a 40-foot container of medical supplies and equipment.
In addition, Duke Global Health Institute and JFD have discussed ways in they can work together to provide research and possibly medical services in Tappita.
The latest project that was earmarked to be undertaken in the district by Duke Engineers for International Development (DEID) is a water filtration and pipeline system aimed at providing clean water for local residents.
DEID is a student-driven initiative in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.
But following a weeklong assessment recently in the district by a team of engineers accompanied by representatives of TADDA and the Tappita District Health office, they could not find a suitable water source for the project, and as a result decided to switch their studies on the possibility of using hand pumps, wells and rainwater catchment facilities to bring cleaner water to the community.
Speaking to FrontPage Africa, the team’s lead Engineer, Rachel Kenyon said DEID successfully implemented similar project in a community in Madagascar and had hope that it would have been a success in Tappita.
Kenyon said although the expectation of their initial project was not met, they are determined to find other feasible ways to provide safe water to the people.
“Instead of saying we could not find water source so we are not doing anything, we are switching our project to what is more suitable for Tappita,” Kenyon said.
“This is just an assessment trip, and at the end of the day, we just collected all of our data and bring it back to Duke to see if it is something that we have the money, time and resources to do.”
She noted that the team collected data from 62 hand pumps and wells and found out that most of these pumps are damaged within a few years following installation, and so if approved by the University, the team will work to come up with a more efficient and sustainable design to make them last longer.
“The common thing in all of the hand pumps we went to is that they were being installed and within two years, many of them become broken and were not in use anymore. In addition, the big part of the project is community involvement-making sure that there is a sense of community responsibility for the wells and in that way, they will last longer, and the community has a stake,” she averred.
Also speaking, an official of TADDA, Cyril Lurlay lauded Duke University for the initiative and expressed hope that the assessment will have a positive outcome.
“We are very happy that Duke University Engineering School chose to send a team to Tappita to assess the possibility of undertaking a clean water project in Tappita. We are excited and very hopeful that something positive will come out of it,” Mr. Lurlay said.
He also paid homage to Neiger Green Partrick, a Liberian and a graduate of Duke University for her pivotal role in connecting Duke University with TADDA after serving as an intern at the JFD Hospital.
He described the tour as an eye-opening and a heart-breaking event in that most parts of the district that were visited are without safe drinking water.
Referencing to a community called Nenlah that suffered cholera outbreak in 2017 which claimed the life of a resident, he lamented that residents of the area are still drinking unsafe water; something he feared might trigger another waterborne disease.
“Our understanding is that when the cholera outbreak happened, the county health officials told them to stop drinking from the creek and dig a well, which they did. But when you look at the water in the well, it seems to be far worse than the stream,” he explained.
“That’s because they only dug a hole and water came up and nothing else was done. We are in sympathy with the community and we are very hopeful that something will happen and change their situation.”
Meanwhile, members of the visiting team include Brittany Ploss, Duke Project Manager, Rachel Kenyon and Gustavo Andrade, DEID engineers, Neiger Patrick of Dagbe Solutions Group (DSG) and Cyril Lurlay, representing TADDA.