Location
Sambande, Kaolack Region, Senegal
Community Description
Sambande is a small Seereer village of 500 people located 20 kilometers south of the city of Kaolack and several kilometers from the nearest paved road. There is no electricity and the main source of income for the village is peanut and millet farming.
The village recently underwent a land redistribution, where the local government came in and reallocated village property to new landowners, writing property titles to formalize the village’s land ownership system.
At the end of the rainy season, 50% of the men in the village will move their families to new plots, many of which are located in former fields. Currently, there are 14 latrines serving 20 separate compounds, but after the re-location, there will be 111 compounds, some more than 200 meters from the nearest latrine.
In households where latrines are not located nearby the children, the elderly and the sick frequently defecate directly behind the compound rather than make the long trek to a neighbor’s latrine. This contributes to the spread of disease and creates unpleasant living conditions.
Project Description
This project is to build 15 simple pit latrines throughout the village, each consisting of a 1.5 x 1.5-meter circular pit covered by a ventilated cement platform. The platform is designed in such a way that when the underlying pit is full it can be lifted up and moved on top of a new pit. One platform should last approximately 10 years.
In short, the platforms are constructed of a concrete and rock mixture reinforced by a rebar frame and covered with a layer of smooth cement. The construction of a single platform can be completed in a day.
The construction day of the latrine will be an opportunity to speak with the surrounding families about the importance of handwashing, the oral-fecal cycle, and how to recognize the signs of imminent latrine collapse. Several women on the sanitation committee will be trained to give these talks and one will accompany the mason on each day of construction.
Privacy enclosures will be the responsibility of the family in whose compound the latrine is placed. The project should take place shortly after the harvest so most likely the families will choose to enclose the latrine in millet stalk fencing, which will be freely available at the time of construction.
Project funds will be used to purchase construction supplies, including bags of cement, rebar and PVC pipe for ventilation. The villagers will provide the labor of digging their holes and providing sand and rocks for construction, as well as paying the mason for construction. Transportation of materials will be donated by the president of the community rurale.
Project Impact
500 people will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jennie Wysong
Comments
Jennie previously completed the Sambande Well Improvement Project – Senegal
and the Sambande School Latrine Project – Senegal.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of The Andando Foundation, with the help of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Jennie Wysong.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Jennie of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Jennie and/or those of other PCVs in the country.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.