Location
Diagaly, Louga Region, Senegal
Community Description
Diagaly is located 55 kilometers east of Linguere, just off the Route Nationale. Because it has a relatively large population of approximately 1,500 and is the home to the sole deep-bore well in the area, Diagaly serves as a hub and commercial center for numerous surrounding villages.
The majority of residents of Diagaly are ethnically Pulaar, with a small Wolof population. Economic life is sustained primarily through herding and farming, in addition to mercantile subsistence. The villagers are constantly working to improve their living conditions. There are numerous groups in the village whose primary purpose is community development.
In the heart of the village lies a 76-meter, deep-bore well and a large water storage facility. However, due to a lack of electricity and a shortage of funds to run the generator to pump the water, the residents of Diagaly have learned to live with substantial water shortages. On average, water is available only once a week and has occasionally been cut off for up to two weeks.
With such a shortage of water, individuals rely on personal water storage facilities to provide their families with water for daily use. Yet, these stored supplies are often inadequate during long stints without water.
The Women’s Group of Diagaly maintains a women’s garden. Within the garden, four water storage basins are distributed throughout the plot. The basins were built as part of a food security initiative fourteen years ago, and throughout the years, the cement lining has slowly eroded away, resulting in extremely dilapidated, limited-use storage facilities.
The basins can currently hold only a few feet of water, which is not sufficient for high-yield garden production. The women’s group of Diagaly has recently begun working on creating family plots within the area, but has found difficulties due to the lack of water in the basins, coupled with the hot, arid Sahelian climate.
Project Description
This project is to repair the water basins in the women’s garden.
The funds for the project will be used to purchase materials to repair the basins, to pay for mason labor, and to pay transportation costs.
The broken basins will be reinforced with iron rods and lined with concrete.
The garden caretaker will purchase and transport the materials from Linguere, 55 kilometers away. Once the materials have arrived, a local mason will mix the concrete and complete the work, using sand and rocks provided by the women’s group.
Project Impact
The 1,500 people living in Diagaly will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Kimberly Hall
Comments
This project will provide functional water storage facilities to support the activities in the entire garden area. It will serve to combat issues of limited water, while providing the community with healthy, reliable food choices, as well as boosting the village’s economic status.
Dollar Amount of Project
$400.00
Donations Collected to Date
$400.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Erin Orias Photography, of Los Angeles, CA, USA with the help of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Kimberly Hall.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Kimberly of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Kimberly and/or those of other PCVs in Senegal.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.