Location
Morifi Ha Belo, Butha Buthe, Lesotho
Community Description
St. Alphones Primary School is located in the village of Morifi Ha Belo, approximately 5 km from Butha Buthe camptown. The student population is over 500. Eight different villages are represented among the student body. The school is a central meeting place for community members and the site of weekly matches for the local football league.
Recently, members of the Morifi Ha Belo community built an above-ground water tank adjacent to St. Alphones Primary School, located in Upper Morifi. The tank was constructed using natural resources, including stone and home-made cement. However, the community could not finish the project, as they lacked the financial resources.
Project Description
This project is to construct a rainwater catchment system at the school.
The system will consist of gutters to catch rainwater from the roof of one of the school buildings, piping to route the water into the existing tank, and piping to distribute the rainwater to the school and village communities.
Two members of the community who have been actively involved in the project will purchase the necessary materials from Boloka, a hardware store in a nearby town. Boloka will transport these materials free of charge to the site.
A construction worker from a nearby village will then coordinate the completion of the project, which includes installing gutters, building a cover for the tank, and attaching a tap to the tank.
Water Charity funds will be used to purchase steel gutters, gutter brackets, nails, cement, paint, a tap, and related materials, such as galvanized sockets and nipples that will secure the tap to the tank. Additionally, the funds will pay the construction worker a small stipend.
The construction worker will complete this project with help from members of the community, who will work without charge.
The principal of St. Alphones Primary School will appoint a staff member to oversee the maintenance of the tank throughout the year.
Project Impact
500 students and 12 staff will directly benefit from the project. The surrounding community and members of the local football league will also be impacted.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
James Kruger
Comments
This project will improve the quality of life for members of the school and village communities in a number of ways:
The school will be able to use the new source of water to prepare lunch for its students. Monday through Friday, half-a-dozen or so women from the surrounding area prepare lunch for the entire student body. Currently, they must transfer water over a long distance.
The school will be able to use the new source of water for its vegetable garden. Teachers and students maintain a small plot adjacent to the school, where they grow vegetables such cabbage and peas. The vegetables are sold to the local community to raise funds for the school. As with the school’s cooks, teachers and students cannot access water easily.
Schoolchildren and staff will be able to use the new source of water to wash their hands. Currently, it is difficult for members of the school community to maintain hygienic practices. The tank will be positioned between school buildings and bathrooms, making it easy for them to keep clean.
The tank will also be used when school is out of session. The school is located in the center of Morifi Ha Belo; certain families will now be closer to the tank than all other sources of water.
Football players will be able to use the tank during and after matches and practices. On Sundays, the local football league uses the pitch for matches. Monday through Friday, the Morifi Ha Belo football team uses the pitch for practices.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been largely funded through the generosity of the Paul Bechtner Foundation with the help of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer James Kruger.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify James of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by James and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.