Location
Jappineh, Jarra Central, Lower River Region, The Gambia
Community Description
Jappineh is a rural village in the Lower River Region of The Gambia. It is a medium-sized village with about 500 compounds and is primarily populated by people of the Mandinka tribe, although there are a few Fula and Wolof compounds as well.
The community relies on solar-powered taps and manual hand pumps for their water. There is no infrastructure for access to electricity within the village. The primary source of income for the community is the farming of groundnuts, coos and maize.
The community is home to the Jappineh Health Center, a medium-sized health center that serves both the residents of Jappineh and surrounding villages. This health center was established in 2009, and on a typical day sees twenty to thirty patients.
The health center is equipped with its own solar-powered water taps and was outfitted with two western-style toilet facilities. Unfortunately, the toilet facilities are not appropriate for this environment and are therefore in a constant state of disrepair. This is a very unsanitary situation and poses a significant health risk.
At this time, both staff and patients are making use of the only other option available, a pit latrine that was dug on the site twelve years ago. The latrine has reached its capacity and should no longer be used.
Project Description
This project is to dig two new sets of pit latrines at the health center, one for staff and visitors as well as one for patients.
The patient latrines will be dug on the health center property and will be situated in an area that is easily accessible. Staff/visitor latrines will be in a separate area to discourage them from being used by patients, maintaining a more sanitary environment.
All work will be provided by local community members. A committee has been created and several planning meetings have been held to establish an estimate for the materials needed and the work to be done. Commitments have been made by the members to complete the work according to an established timeline.
The latrines will be hand dug by community members, and the community will pay for the specialized masonry work.
Water Charity funds will only be used to purchase materials, including cement, sand, and gravel to build the privacy enclosure, corrugated metal for the roofs and doors of the latrines, iron rods for support, and nails for construction
Project Impact
This project will directly benefit 500 people.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Tanya Hahni
Comments
This is a critical sanitation and public health project, as there are not now adequate facilities for the needs of patients and staff. It has been well-planned, and has a tremendous amount of community support.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$0.00
ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW
Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you “naming rights”, if that is something you would like.
Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of the Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.
Dollar Amount Needed
$555.00
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.