This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Olivia Kenna. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was to dig a well for the benefit of both the women’s garden and the primary school.
Olivia reports:
The digging of the Sare Djiba Women’s Garden and Primary School Well started on the morning of December 14th, 2010, with a blessing by the chief of the village of Sare Djiba and a gathering of interested men and women from the community. The digging started immediately after the blessing, and, as is always amazing to observe with well-diggers from this area, they began to dig straight down in a perfect circle.
The task of digging a well in Sare Djiba is not easy since the water table is notably low for the villages of the area. Usually water is hit only at around 20 or so meters.
Unfortunately, over the time that the well was being dug, the main well-digger injured his hand and was not able to work for three weeks, which slowed the progress of the project. His hand recovered though, luckily for him and for us, and the well diggers finished digging the well on February 10, 2011.
This well project will have the immediate benefit of allowing the women of Sare Djiba to start their gardening project, for which they had been anxiously awaiting water. The fencing, which was funded by USAID, has also been completed.
The project will also serve the village primary school, as it makes the transition from a grass shade structure to government-funded school buildings later this year.
Both the women’s group carrying out the garden project as well as the teachers at the primary school, together with the greater community of Sare Djiba, send their heartfelt thanks for the generous contribution to the development of their community in the form of potable water.
As I’m just finishing my Peace Corps service, this is my third and final collaboration with Appropriate Projects – so I want to say a sincere thank you again for the opportunity to carry out the work I have done with your support. The people of the community I live and work with are deeply grateful, as am I.
We thank Olivia for the great job she has done, and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
We again wish to thank the anonymous donor who provided funding for this project.
