Location
Portland Cottage, Jamaica
Community Description
Portland Cottage is a rural community of 5,000 people, located in the southern parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. The terrain is flat and the infrastructure is very poor.
The people of the community rely on fishing, employment at the sugar factory, and other informal employment for meager pay. Most families struggle to survive to put food on the table.
Housing is not always safe and some areas do not have running water or proper toilet facilities. The water source nearest to Portland Cottage requires a walk of more than 5 miles in the hot sun over bad roads. The older people in town are no longer able to do this.
The community has been hit by two major devastating hurricanes, Ivan in 2004, and Dean in 2007.
Project Description
This is a small demonstration project to show the viability in this community of storing water in tanks and catching and treating rainwater during the rainy season.
The project will install tanks and rainwater collection equipment at two residences occupied by older individuals who are no longer able to make the trek to the closest available water source.
The installation of tanks and facilities, along with water conservation and the proper treatment of rainwater, will be taught to the community.
Project Impact
This project will directly impact two family units, comprised of 13 people. It will indirectly impact the entire community with its teaching and demonstration components.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Debra Curry
Comments
A community-wide problem, that of retrieving water daily from great distances, will be approached first by assisting the families that, due to age and infirmity, are no longer able to get water on their own. It will also serve as a model for others who find themselves in a similar circumstance.
Dollar Amount of Project
$260.00
Donations Collected to Date
$260.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0 – This project has been fully funded! Please choose another of our worthy projects.
This project has been completed. Click HERE to see the final report.