Location
Dingiri Village, Tumana District, Upper River Region, The Gambia
Community Description
Dingiri is a 300-compound village of approximately 3,000 residents. The village is located in the Tumana District of the Upper River Region of The Gambia, close to its southern border with Senegal.
Dingiri is about one hour from the nearest large town, Basse. The villagers are from two ethnic groups, Sarahule and Fula. Most community members are subsistence farmers of peanuts, coos, and corn.
The only school in the village, the Dingiri Lower Basic School, has 485 students and serves not only Dingiri, but also four smaller surrounding villages, including one village in Senegal. There are seven teachers, three cooks and a caretaker.
The school was established in Dingiri in the early 1990’s. The school educates children from grades 1 to 6, as well as two classes of Early Childhood Development.
Problem Addressed
Dingiri Lower Basic School gets its water from a well with a hand pump. However, the pump has been broken for one year, after a technician who came to service it dropped the cylinder iron piece of the pump to the bottom of the well.
There are no other water sources available for the school. The school has been unable to maintain the garden since the pump broke.
Currently, all the school children must bring water to school, but because of the heat of The Gambia, the amount of water they can carry to the school is insufficient for their needs. The school is situated about 10 minutes from the center of Dingiri.
To cook, the cooking staff must bring their own water from the village on a donkey cart. There is no water available for hand washing or for using the pit latrines.
Teachers also must bring their own water to school each day.
Project Description
This project is to fix the hand pump at the school.
The School Management Committee (SMC) has chosen a technician they trust and have an estimate from him. The first step in the project will be for the technician to buy all the necessary parts and come to Dingiri with a mason. The SMC will provide other labor as necessary.
The actual work on the well will take around 3 days to complete. The mason will have to break the concrete slabs and remove them so the technician can be lowered down into the well to retrieve the cylinder iron that fell. It is possible the iron may be damaged.
The mason will repair any damage to the cylinder iron and install 10 new iron rods. Eight new nut pieces will be needed to secure the well. Gravel, sand, and concrete will be needed to redo the concrete slab.
The community will participate by providing transportation for all materials from the nearest larger town, Basse. The village will also provide labor for mixing and placing cement, plus other unskilled labor the technician and mason may require. The village has also agreed to rebuild the garden fence once the pump is completed.
Project Impact
540 people will benefit from the project, including 485 students, 7 teachers, 1 caretaker, 3 cooks, and 44 people in 2 compounds that are close to the school.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Kara Horowitz
Comments
This is a high-impact infrastructure project that will greatly improve the health and well-being of students, staff, and community members.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$445.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$110.00 – This project has received major funding through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation, with the expectation of additional donations from the friends, family, and supporters of the Peace Corps Volunteer.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the Peace Corps Volunteer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV 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.