In this rural village in Mali, the majority of people get their drinking water from traditional wells. These uncovered and easily-eroded wells are a major source of waterborne diseases.
Intestinal worms and other parasites are especially dangerous for children, making them susceptible to dehydration, diarrhea, and malnutrition. Additionally, unkempt well areas attract mosquitoes, increasing the incidence of malaria.
Recognizing water quality as a major obstacle to their wellbeing, the community formed a Water and Sanitation Committee in December 2008. Since then, they have held monthly meetings to discuss the community’s sanitation problems, and have participated in two major training sessions with Peace Corps staff.
The Committee designed, implemented, and completed 19 highly successful top-well repairs. Each repair involved intense structural reinforcement as well as the installation of a metal door to protect against debris and contamination.
The committee supplemented the construction with ongoing educational activities and monitoring of water treatment and sanitation behaviors.
The success of the first project generated such a positive response that the community is enthusiastically ready to expand their efforts. In this project, 35 top-well repairs will be done in the central village and surrounding hamlets.
The villagers are contributing 26% of the total budget, consisting of labor, gravel, boulders, transportation of materials, as well as a small amount of funds.
After the completion of the top-well repairs, the committee will monitor water quality and perform chlorine treatments. In addition, they will collect money from users to be utilized for repairs and future development.
The project is being carried out under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer E. Hurley.
This project restores ineffective wells to use as a resource for the community. The dynamic planning and implementation of the prior project, together with a large community contribution toward the project show their commitment. Their demonstrated fiscal responsibility, educational participation, and pre-planning for monitoring and maintenance all come together to ensure sustainability.
$0.00 – The Water Charity’s participation in this project has been fully funded, through the generosity of <The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
Any additional donations using the Donate button below will be used to fund other projects by this PCV and/or other PCVs in this country.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.