Location
Ndoumane Mbaye, Tambacounda region, Senegal, West Africa
Community Description
Ndoumane is a small village of Pulaar subsistence farmers, 111 kilometers west of the regional capital of Tambacounda, in the Tambacounda region of Senegal.
Here, 345 villagers lead a physically exhausting lifestyle with remarkable grace and openness. Herding cattle, goats and sheep bring in a very modest income year-round, while intensive farming occupies every family’s time during the four-and-a-half month rainy season. With the help of a horse and pulley system, one 196-foot deep well provides the entire village’s water.
There are currently 10 latrines in Ndoumane (built by a local NGO), an entirely inadequate number for 345 people. As a result, villagers walk about 100 yards into the bush to relieve themselves. When vegetation is tall during the rainy season, most children don’t bother walking to the bush, relieving themselves instead directly behind huts. Villagers understand that this contributes to the oral-fecal cycle, and impedes the health of Ndoumane overall.
Although well aware of the positive impact latrines will have, subsistence farming provides little-to-no disposable income. Oftentimes, their food store runs out well before the next harvesting season arrives. This forces families to eat millet with a watery peanut sauce twice a day, frequently skipping lunch. Due to these restricted finances, villagers cannot afford the materials and mason labor to build quality latrines.
Project Description
This project is to build 10 latrines in various compounds throughout the village. The latrines will be approximately five and a half feet deep and four and a half feet wide.
Although the water table is extremely deep, the villagers want to line the latrines with cement bricks to prevent ground contamination. Each latrine will be ventilated with a plastic pipe, covered when not in use, and equipped with a hand washing station to maximize its health benefits for the community.
Project funds will purchase cement, iron rebar, plastic ventilators, and the necessary skilled labor for construction. Villagers will dig the latrine holes, a difficult task in the dry climate.
Project Impact
Approximately 100 people will directly benefit from the project. The entire village of 345 will benefit indirectly from the improved hygiene.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Erika Berg
Comments
This project carries a substantial commitment from the villagers to make it happen. It will have a great impact on the overall sanitation of the community, and thus reduce disease.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Hope You Like It, which provided the final dollars “In Honor of Faith, Hope, and Love” and contributions from friends of Erika Berg.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Erika Berg of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Erika and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in Senegal.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.