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Menka Water Storage Project – Cameroon

Location
Menka, Mezam Division, Northwest Region, Cameroon

Community Description
Menka is a village with a small population that is spread over a vast land area. Menka people are predominately farmers and act as the breadbasket for much of Cameroon and many neighboring countries. They are wonderfully hospitable people and incredible business/work-oriented.

Presently the village has an older water system installed by HELVETAS during the early 1990s. As the village’s population and the land area have grown. The water scheme is becoming more and more inadequate, leading to severe water scarcity, even when supply is rationed.

Under the Menka Protected Spring Project – Cameroon, completed under Stephen’s direction, a protected spring was built in Menka. However, a tank is necessary for the water system to act as a storage mechanism. While the spring source is strong, it cannot consistently supply the community with water. In the morning or evening, when many people are prone to use water and draw from the system, the spring will completely empty out, and there will be water shortages.

Project Description
This will be Phase 2 of the Menka Community Water Project. This project is to build a 40-cubic-meter water storage tank.

The tank will be constructed with local stones and cement and covered with concrete, reinforced with rebar. It will be approximately 2.3 meters tall and 5 meters in diameter. The tank will also include an aeration elbow and aeration pipes.

First, the community will dig the foundation. It is important to dig so that the tank’s foundation is on firm soil/bedrock– this is to protect the tank from sagging or tilting due to erosion. After this is done, the engineer will supervise the laying of the foundation and the floor of the tank.

The floor will be tilted approximately 3% toward the outlet pipe. After this, the walls will be built of two layers of large stones– an inner and an outer layer. Each layer of cement is kept together by cement.

The community will be responsible for carrying stones, carrying sand, cement, and all other construction materials, as well as providing both skilled and unskilled labor.

Water Charity funds will be used to pay for cement, sand. and engineer supervision.

The community has already received training from Better Family Foundation (BFF) and will receive refresher courses after community workdays.

Project Impact
This project will eventually supply the Government School quarter of Menka Village. There will be 850 direct beneficiaries who live in this quarter of the village and approximately 1,400 indirect beneficiaries who will benefit from increased water on the other side of the village.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Stephen Cormier

$555.00 Donations Collected to Date$555.00