Location
Commune of Kounkane, Velingara Department, Kolda Region, Senegal
Community Description
Kounkane is a rural road town located on Route National 6 in southern Senegal, with a population of approximately 9,300, the majority of whom belong to the Pulaar ethnic group. Most of the economy relies on agriculture, primarily of corn, rice, millet, peanuts, and cotton.
The town hosts a mayor’s office, a health post, five primary schools, one CEM (the equivalent of a middle school), and one lycee (the equivalent of a high school). It is also located 9 km from Diaobe, host to one of the largest open-air weekly markets in West Africa, and an important source of commerce in the region.
The Kounkane Health Post (Poste de Sante de Kounkane) sits approximately 1 km north of the town center. It is staffed by one full-time nurse, five nurse’s assistants, and over 30 volunteer community health workers. The health post covers the entire population of the commune of Kounkane (approximately 9,300), and monitors and stocks nine small health huts in surrounding villages.
The health post provides essential basic care for locally prevalent illnesses such as malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory infections, and provides a safe place for local women to give birth and conduct pre- and post-natal visits. The health post also conducts regular child vaccination and growth monitoring campaigns, and provides family planning and STD prevention at low cost. The health post staff also performs periodic preventive health education campaigns.
Due to lack of local government funding for community health care, and the priority given to providing low-cost health care to community members, the health post lacks the resources to maintain and repair damages to existing infrastructure. The most pressing need of the health post is to repair their toilet facilities. These facilities currently consist of two latrine chambers and one shower chamber, each approximately 2 m by 2 m, all housed within the same structure. These chambers drain into a shared 12-meter cubed cement-lined, aerated septic tank.
The chambers are in poor physical condition. The pipes leading from the toilets to the septic tank are completely blocked with garbage and human refuse, and there is no water line connected to the structure. Because the toilets are completely blocked, the toilets have repeatedly overflowed, covering the floor with human waste.
In addition, the cement walls and floors are rapidly deteriorating, and show several holes and cracks. This makes the toilet facilities completely unusable at the health post, and patients and staff are forced to seek toilets or showers in neighboring compounds, which poses a severe health hazard for Kounkane residents.
Project Description
This project will repair the two toilet chambers and single shower chamber at the Kounkane Health Post and restore them to working order for use by patients, visitors, and staff.
Firstly, the project will procure a local team to thoroughly clean and disinfect the toilet chambers.
Secondly, it will procure a local plumber to unblock the pipes leading to the septic tank, install a working shower in the shower chamber, and connect a water line to each of the three chambers.
Thirdly, it will procure a local mason to repair the cracks and holes in the floor and walls and repaint the interior and exterior of the chambers.
Appropriate Projects funds will be used to purchase cleaning supplies, protective clothing, PVC piping, new Turkish toilet seats, a shower head, galvanized piping and faucets to branch a water line with each chamber, cement, sand, gravel, and paint. These funds will also pay for the labor of the plumber and mason.
The health post will pay for the labor of the disinfection team, as well as provide buckets and kettles for each toilet chamber. In addition, the health committee will create a schedule to ensure the regular cleaning and maintenance of the toilets.
Project Impact
This project will benefit all 9,300 people who live in the commune of Kounkane.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Geoffrey Burmeister
Comments
This is a high-impact project that will make a huge difference in the health and well-being of the community.
Geoffrey previously completed the Lycee de Kounkane Latrine Project – Senegal.
Dollar Amount of Project
$430.00
Donations Collected to Date
$430.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Geoffrey Burmeister of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Geoffrey and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.