Across Madina and the surrounding villages, clean water is still out of reach for too many families. Women and children often walk more than a mile to the nearest stream, several times a day, to collect water for their homes — a journey that is exhausting and often dangerous. And once they arrive home, the water itself is rarely safe: stream water is untreated and frequently carries the bacteria and parasites that cause gastric infections.
What We Found
In 2026, Help Madina carried out a full survey of Madina and 90 surrounding villages in Tonko Limba, Kambia District, to understand the true scale of the problem. The results were stark:
- 13 villages have no well at all.
- Of the 165 wells across the remaining villages, only 65 — fewer than 4 in 10 — are actually working.
Our Approach
Building a new well costs approximately £3,000, so Help Madina can only fund a small number of new wells each year. That’s why we focus much of our effort on identifying wells that have broken down and getting them working again, at a fraction of the cost — typically £150 to £1,000 per repair.
Building Something That Lasts
A repaired well that breaks down again within a year helps no one. That’s why Help Madina is launching a Well Repair and Maintenance Programme designed to keep wells working for the long term. The programme trains local well caretakers in each village and works closely with communities to build the skills and structures needed for upkeep. Villages contribute a small monthly sum toward maintenance, so that over time the programme becomes self-sustaining rather than dependent on outside funding.
Thank you to our sponsors for making this possible — for turning survey data into working wells, and working wells into healthier villages.
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