Water Charity’s “WATER FOR EVERYONE” initiative in Madagascar aims to provide clean water for all. The Marolambo project is an important part of this initiative. Following a feasibility study in May 2023, a kiosk model was selected for greater efficiency. The project includes the rehabilitation of upstream facilities, pipelines and distribution systems, as well as the construction of 47 water stations. The project began in September and will take approximately 45 days to complete, providing paid local labor to stimulate the local economy. The total length of the supply pipeline is 2,360 meters and the distribution system is 3,391 meters, with different diameters to optimize functionality. The pipelines are strategically located to ensure efficient water distribution throughout the village.
Program Location
Marolambo, located in the southern part of the Antsinanana region within the Eastern Highlands, is a large village with three fokontany: Antanambao, Vohidiavolana and Vohitromby-II. Marolambo hosts the district and commune offices and has a population of 7763. Despite its size, the village has been consistently overlooked by aid programs since their inception.
Access to Marolambo is by 6 x 6 trucks, motorcycles, and on foot. The community water system, built-in 2003 and upgraded in 2013, draws water from a perennial stream located 2.5 km outside the village. The system includes an upstream filter and two large 60k m3 tanks, and uses a PVC pipeline to transport water to the village and distribute it through a network of pipes. Although the system was originally designed with approximately 48 water points, only 15 public points are operational. The community monitors the water system, but the upstream section is affected by silt and debris, and the pipeline has deteriorated, resulting in numerous leaks. Unauthorized taps into the pipeline have also compromised the distribution system, with some stations lacking valves and running continuously. As a result, the flow of water has decreased significantly, causing disruptions to functioning water stations and forcing many in the village to rely on contaminated urban streams for water.
Problem Addressed
The Marolambo municipal water system was built 20 years ago. It is a surface water system collecting water from a dammed stream, piping it 2.3 kilometers to the village and delivering it to 48 water stations throughout the village. The water system is no longer functional. The upstream facilities are filled with mud, only fifteen water stations work, and the pipeline is leaking profusely, depleting the water flow and shutting down the system.
Many villagers use contaminated water from urban streams and ponds. Water-borne disease is widespread with an average of 245 cases of diarrhea reported annually. The Mayor of the Commune recognizes the problem, believes it will only get worse and asked for a help in a letter dated May 17, 2023.
Marolambo Water Infrastructure Issues
The current water system built two decades ago, is on the brink of complete failure due to age, inadequate maintenance, human activity, and weak management.
Catchment
The catchment site is filled with mud and debris, limiting water collection and causing overflow. The pre-filter is clogged with mud sludge and non-functional.
Filter Unit
The current water system built two decades ago, is on the brink of complete failure due to age, inadequate maintenance, human activity, and weak management.
Transit Pipeline
Seventeen water leaks between the filter and holding tanks result in pressure loss. Leaks are caused by surface exposure, unauthorized taps, changes in pipe size, improper repairs, and construction on the pipeline.
Holding Tanks
Both 45m: 3 tanks are dirty, not fully filled, and one is leaking.
Distribution System
The pipeline network and forty-eight water stands are in extreme disrepair, with numerous leaks. Unauthorized connections, broken stands, and lack of a pipeline map hinder maintenance.
Accessibility
Some areas are too high for gravity feed, requiring alternative sources like a new drill well.
Infrastructure Management
Managed by the Commune without an established structure. Technicians lack training, tools, and parts. The Catholic Mission owns the only drilled well, operating a successful commercial model.
Public Consultation Meeting
Stakeholders express support for WFE – Water For Everyone initiative. Questions addressed project details, water quality, and local employment plans.
Logistics
Challenges include impassable roads, limited traffic, and unpredictable road travel. 4WD trucks, 6WD trucks, and motorcycles are used for transportation, with logistical planning essential.
Project Objectives
The Marolambo Water Rehabilitation Project is a crucial initiative that aims to provide clean water services to the village, leaving no room for waterborne diseases. The project is designed to elevate sanitation and personal hygiene standards, ensuring a healthier and more productive community. With this project, we can significantly improve the quality of life for all residents, especially the most vulnerable, by providing better protection against illnesses. We are confident that this project will make a significant impact, contributing to a more prosperous and healthy community.
In summary, the Marolambo Water Rehabilitation Project is designed to achieve the following objectives:
1. Restore water services to the Marolambo village.
2. Decrease the incidence of waterborne diseases and improve sanitation and personal hygiene.
3. Enhance the overall health, productivity, and quality of life for the population.
4. Provide better protection for vulnerable populations against serious illnesses.
NEW CONSTRUCTION: 47 Water Stations, 3391 meters of new pipeline, buried to 0.8 meters
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Overall Summary
The Marolambo Project is Water Charity’s triumphant gravitational water supply project in Madagascar. It’s a remarkable undertaking that encompasses a dam, filters, tanks, chlorination boxes, kiosks, and standpoints. Despite facing many challenges, our team completed the work to the highest professional standards. We treated the water to eliminate Escherichia coli and recruited technicians and volunteers to ensure the system’s proper use and maintenance. By doing so, we’ve made a lasting impact on the communities that were in dire need of clean water. This project is a testament to Water Charity’s ability to transform lives and create positive change. We’re proud to have collaborated with MWP on this venture, which is part of our “WATER FOR EVERYONE” initiative that was introduced and implemented in Madagascar since October 2022.
Achievements – Marolambo Water Project
A. Source Taking Point: a. Improved water source with a new small dam to divert mud and debris. b. Installed a 75mm PEHD hose for efficient water collection. c. Protected the hose with medium-sized gravel.
B. Dam (Retention Tank): a. Raised the dam’s main face for increased water retention. b. Constructed walls to prevent contamination. c. Installed a 60mm PEHD valve for drainage during maintenance.
C. Loading Chamber: a. Installed a screen at the water inlet to prevent sludge and debris. b. Coated and created a new concrete lid. c. Conducted readjustment and plumbing work.
D. Filter 1 and Filter 2: a. Removed sludge and waste filter elements. b. Made plumbing modifications for better functionality. c. Installed overflow and outlet mechanisms.
E. Supply and Distribution Lines: a. Laid new PEHD hoses, connected with new connectors, and restored trenches. b. Installed chambers for purge, sectioning, and drain valves.
F. Holding Tank and Water Quality: a. Rehabilitated two storage tanks. b. Replaced old piping and installed new branches. c. Ensured water quality with treatment facilities. d. Installed a flow meter and electro-chlorinator.
H. Water Delivery Points: a. Installed 20 public kiosks and 10 standpipes for public institutions.
I. Management and Sustainability: a. Recruited two technicians and 20 volunteers for system maintenance. b. Instituted a membership fee for infrastructure maintenance. c. Established agreements on usage terms and set a free water day on Saturdays.
J. Challenges and Difficulties: a. Faced challenges due to poor access, delays in material supply, and shortage of skilled workers.
The funds for this program have been advanced by Water Charity. Your donation using this Donate button will ensure that we have funds available to accomplish this project.
Coming off recent success in The Gambia and Liberia, Water Charity is embarked on another Water for Everyone Project in Madagascar. We have been active in Madagascar from early on in WC history, having sponsored many dozens of projects in recent years and touched hundreds of villages. Our primary intervention there has been in the rehabilitation of broken wells first, and the drilling of new wells where necessary.
Madagascar is well-suited for a Water for Everyone Program. Only half the population has access to clean water and much of that population lies in rural communities. Most rely on subsistence farming and fishing for their livelihood. Forty-three percent of adults lack proper nutrition and forty-eight percent of children under five suffer from stunted growth. There have been other projects to address water availability in cities and larger villages, but the rural populations still have a long way to go, and this is where our focus lies.
The challenges are as varied as the mini continent that forms Madagascar. The center of the country is formed by mountainous highlands dominated by igneous basements, making the search for subsurface water quite difficult. The coasts are rimmed with sedimentary rock and carbonates and are slightly more conducive for water drilling. The north and east are largely semi-tropical while the south and southwest are arid. It seems that climate change has made conditions worse in the south where water is lacking even for agricultural purposes, and malnutrition and starvation are widespread.
Many attempts over the years have been made to mitigate the water problem. There are literally thousands of broken wells across the country that have fallen into disrepair. One objective of this project is to find and identify these wells, assess their potential, and design programs to put them back in service. Our partners, local residents of the various regions, are our force on the ground to collect these data points. Water Charity uses GIS data and our Geospatial analysis capabilities to identify needs, and gaps in infrastructure, and design specific and targeted programs to get water to those in need. It is expected the entire project could take a few years, but we are confident that all rural villages can be provided with at least one working well and given the skills to maintain them.
Our local Malagasy partners and The Madagascar Water Project (MWP), have extensive connections and knowledge about the country, the languages and dialects spoken, and are a key piece of the puzzle for this ambitious program. We have worked with them for many years, drilling dozens of wells and repairing countless broken ones to provide clean water to thousands of people. This program has begun along the east coast and will expand to include rural regions all over, with the goal of eventually including the entire county. We will not deal with cities and the larger towns for this B2B effort, as there are existing infrastructure issues and the problems are entirely different. WFE Madagascar is solely focused on the rural villages, at least for now.
Goals and Methods of Water for Everyone
The Madagascar Water for Everyone Project is designed to achieve the goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 and the Plan Emergence Madagascar Priorate 29.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
Plan Emergence Madagascar Priorite 29 – Garantirl’acces universal a l’eau potable (French is a main language for government there)
The Project combines the latest technology in satellite mapping with an extensive ground-based data collection effort. The Program will conduct inventories and is documenting existing water infrastructure. We are assessing functionality and adequacy to the populations served and can thus identify under-served populations where they exist. Population data, water-related health data, agricultural and irrigation data, and water infrastructure and water quality data has been collected from local officials when available, and we will continue to work with these agencies as closely as we can.
All our projects (in this program and out) involve extensive documentation. Well location data is recorded using GPS-enabled devices, this data is combined with various survey and government-provided information and cross-referenced with other aid groups and NGOs. We have webpages put up regularly (see page bottom for links) and update them with new info and media from the field. While this is usually done with incredible speed, we can not always keep pages up to date in real-time and it may take us some weeks to post recent work.
Water Charity integrates population, infrastructure, health, and other data collected on the ground into Geographic Information System (GIS) map-based platform including ArcGIS and Earth Engine. This makes it possible to 1) identify and quantify gaps in water infrastructure; 2) design specific and targeted projects to improve clean water access 3) put them in a format that can be presented to potential sponsors and operators and 4) track their impact over time. Projects coming up include newly drilled wells, repair of existing wells, and the repairs, maintenance, and upgrades of a larger infrastructure. Some areas will be prioritized based on their specific needs.
The Project began in the Region of Antsinanana and continues into other Regions of Madagascar on pace.
The Madagascar Water Project: an overview
Since 2015, WFE Madagascar & the Madagascar Water Project have drilled about 200 water wells in about 80 rural villages, providing clean water to an estimated 100,000 people. Starting around Antsinanana, the work has migrated to the south over time and the well drilling work can now be found as far south as Mananjary. To aid in this effort, WC funded the purchase of a dedicated well drilling rig over the summer of 2022. This new rig can be expected to function for many years to come with minimal maintenance and should increase the ability of MWP and the WFE program to aid the people with new wells, deepening existing wells, and even clearing debris that has come to block wells that otherwise should be functional.
We have also started a well repair program in the drought-stricken south to fix some of the thousands of broken wells located there. These well repairs have been our bread and butter in the past. and will continue to be a major part of what we do there. After all, fixing a broken well is nearly always more efficient than drilling a new well and installing a brand-new handpump.
Like many of our partners around the world, MWP is small, lean, active, and impactful. The photo below was taken in 2018 during one of our joint ventures that included the village of Salehy. This is the same core group that has supported our Water for Everyone Program all along the way, and will continue to lead the way on the ground. (note their cool Water Charity T-Shirts).
Except for Director, Frederick Rittelmeyer (3rd from left above), who works as an unpaid volunteer, the entire staff is Malagasy. As the photo shows, they are quite proud of their association with Water Charity, and it has been mutually beneficial for all. The gentleman in the foreground, Hilaire Razandrafely is the MWP Project Manager for the Madagascar Water for Everyone Project. Photo, Salehy 2019.
The Madagascar Water Project drilled its first well in the village of Andovoranto in 2015. That well is shown in the photo left and is still working today. We remain committed to the villages it serves and provides maintenance training, repairs, and spare parts for its wells. If the well fails, which occasionally happens, the MWP drills replacement wells when needed. Photo, Andovoranto 2015.
So far, WC has drilled most of its wells along the east coast, along an intra-coastal waterway known as the Pangalana Channel. To many, the area looks like paradise, but many villages had no access to clean water, which has a profoundly negative impact on the health of those living there. With the help of the MWP, the area at least has taken a small step forward into the 20th Century.
Due to the amenable conditions, we can use hand augers and slide hammers to build wells. In most cases, this takes only a few hours. Standard pitcher pumps are used and can produce at rates up to 25 liters/minute from depths to 7 meters.
The Project provides community-based water wells, managed by Well Management Committees. The MWP provides guidance but ultimately rules, hours, and fees (if any) are determined by the committee.
Effective self-management is key to sustainability and is often more difficult than drilling the well. The line between assistance and dependency is as thin and delicate as a piece of thread.
MWP Logistics
One of the biggest challenges working in Madagascar is logistics. Roads are in poor repair and often nonexistent even when they appear on a map. The Water for Everyone Project will have to overcome these challenges even more. One can choose where to drill wells, but the mission of the Water for Everyone Project is to go everywhere.
MWP History
The first wells began drilling in the village of Andovoranto in 2015. The work migrated southward every year, eventually moving past the village of Mananjary in 2020.
Water Charity believes that maintenance and repairs are as critical to the program as newly drilled wells. These long-term relationships are more efficient, and create less oversight and maintenance, and, in the end, leave the communities with better, more efficient, and equitable water management.
Well Repair Program in Southern Madagascar
In 2022 WFE Madagascar began a large well-repair program in southern Madagascar. The entire southern section of the country has suffered from extreme drought for more than 10 years. Not only does it affect water availability, but it has also caused widespread famine. Malnutrition and starvation are everywhere.
Thousands of water wells have been drilled there in the past few decades. Although most are now broken, some are still capable of being repaired to provide clean water, any water to those in need.
The map below shows the current area of focus in the District of Betroka.
Some wells are conventional Indian Pumps that need routine repairs or have been victims of theft such as the well below in Anabinda.
Photo Anabinda 2022
Other broken wells exist as holes in the ground. The project has installed our conventional pumps onto these wells and successfully brought them back into production. They are used as much for agricultural purposes as they are for human consumption. Each well is saving lives and improving the quality of life for many.
The pumps are taken off each night to protect them from theft.
Water access is often a key component of famine. On a trip in February 2021, we deviated from our mission and distributed 350 kg of rice to a few villages that hadn’t eaten in weeks. The World Food Program, USAID, other NGOs, and the Madagascar Government have since come in to provide more assistance.
Conclusion
There is so much to do in Madagascar that a systematic, thorough, complete, and scientific approach is the best way to assess the needs, design solutions, and provide relief to the many millions still in need of clean water. The Water for Everyone Initiative is a significant move in that direction.
Join Us
List of Water Charity’s Past Madagascar Project Pages:
13 water wells were drilled in six villages that now provide clean water to over 15,000 people. The project area is south of the Mangoro River (Salehy), through Masomeloka to Nosy Varika and beyond, moving into the remote area where the distal ends of the Regions of Antsinanana and Fianarantsoa meet.
Built a community well at the school in Andrenilaivelo, a livestock and farming community of approximately 250 people located in the central highlands of Madagascar.
Built 2 latrines at the primary school in the village of Amindratombo. Amindratombo is part of the community of Sahambavy, located in the southern highlands of Madagascar. The project will benefit 200 students.
Build a well at the primary school in the village of Amindratombo. The well will be used to provide drinking water for the students. Amindratombo is part of the community of Sahambavy, located in the southern highlands of Madagascar. The project will benefit the 200 students plus indirect beneficiaries numbering about 1,500: 1,700 total.
Repair and improve the well at the Maternity and Health Center in the community of Ansampanimahazo is located 9 km from its district Faratsiho in the northern highlands of Madagascar. The population consists of approximately 15,000 people spread across 12 villages.
Build 4 wells in the Amboromana district of Vohemar, Madagascar. There are currently 360 families living in the area, with a population of 1,836 people.
Purchase and install 1 water pump to expand the production of rice in the community. Morarano Chrome is a town and commune in the Eastern part of Madagascar. Over 150 people who work in the fields, and their families, will benefit from the project.
Built 3 wells and 1 dam in three neighboring fokontanies (neighborhoods) of Anjiro: Mahatsinjo, Antanetibe, and Ambilobe. Anjiro is a rural community located in the central highlands of Madagascar. It has a population of about 15,000 people.
Replace 1 broken handpump at the site with a sealed well lined with concrete rings, and an electronic pump for the Special Community Reserve of Analalava, a protected rainforest on the east coast of Madagascar, owned by the local community. This project immediately benefitted 150+ people and has since benefitted thousands of tourists.
Build 2 new public latrines, with lined and displaced pits and ventilation. The facilities will be made available for use by the students and villagers.of Morarano, a rural village located 12 km southwest of the beach town of Foulpointe on the east coast of Madagascar. About 150 people live in the village center. However, the presence of an elementary school means 270 students come in from the surrounding hills on a daily basis: a total of 420 people.
Build 1 public biogas toilet for the community that uses human waste as a valuable resource that can be converted into two products: (1) gas for cooking and (2) fertilizer. The project was located in the beautiful coastal community of Ambonivato, about 8 miles outside of Tamatave, the second largest city in Madagascar. Though it is close to the city, the village of 750 people is still a very poor and rural village.
1 bathroom facility with 3 toilets, 3 urinals, and 3 sinks for Association Mitsinjo, an association of local guides. Mitsinjo is located 2 km from the village of Andasibe, but its impact zone is much larger. It is the manager of the Torotorofotsy wetlands, a Ramsar site, as well as the Analamazaotra forest station. The facility will benefit the association through the 3,000+ tourists that visit annually.
1 new, high-quality, composting latrine behind the clinic which can be used by all of the approximately 300 patients, health workers, nurses, and the doctor in Tsivangiana, a rice-farming and fishing village near the east coast of Madagascar. There is a major water sanitation problem, with a couple of stagnant streams used for everything from bathing, to washing clothes, to washing dishes, to collecting water for cooking and other household uses.
1 new well in the village of Ambavala, located on the tropical and beautiful northeast coast of the island nation of Madagascar. This rather large village of nearly 300 people depends on only one well for all of their daily water needs.
1 refurbished non-functioning well. Mahajoanivo is a small rural village in the Central Highlands of Madagascar. Mahajoanivo has 211 residents; most are farmers.
Install 6 pumps in existing wells for use in 6 different cooperatives, including the rice cooperative, garden cooperative, and women’s gardening group, to irrigate their crops. The cooperatives are located in Anketrakabe, a village of approximately 1,200 people located 47 km from Diego.
1 tree nursery to create food security, increase the available water supply, and provide economic benefits to the 300,000 people in Mandritsara, a city and commune in northern Madagascar.
1 rainwater harvesting system and 3 systems to remediate flooding problems for the three largest dormitories on the Le Centre d’Accueil et de Transit des Jumeaux Abandonné (CATJA), an orphanage for 125 abandoned twin children. The orphanage is located in Mananjary, a seaside town in southeast Madagascar that is home to nearly 30,000 Malagasy whose livelihoods are very much integrated with their natural surroundings.
5- Day Permagarden Staff and Volunteer Training and Training Design Creation; Peace Corps Madagascar requested assistance in the creation of a thorough Training Design and Evaluation Process that will guide the sustainable agriculture and nutrition security work of current and future Peace Corps Volunteers.
1 shower facility to serve the Amporofor Clinic, which serves 12,543 people. Access to a shower with clean water and soap will reduce the risk of infection to the person, as well as reduce contamination by viruses and bacteria in the clinic area.
Improve 4 wells, including the installation of 2 new pumps for Ambatomainty, a rural community of about 10,000 people located in the Alaotra Mangoro region, also known as the ‘rice basket’ of Madagascar. For water, families were long forced to rely on a river that has turned red from mud and erosion.
1 well built between the local elementary school and the community center of Antsakoana, a small village south of the town Amparafaravola located in the Eastern part of Madagascar; well will benefit roughly 350 people.
Improve 2 wells for the 1,000 people of Tsivangiana, who live along the east coast of Madagascar, separated from the Indian Ocean by about 20 kilometers of degraded rainforest. After the well broke, for the past three years the people have been fetching water from the stream.
1 well and 1 new pump for a second well; the project recipient facility, Centre Hospitalier de District (CHD), benefits 2,000 people per month who attend the health facilities.
2 wells were built for the village of Andonaka, located on the east coast of Madagascar, 12 km west of the commune and district capital Nosy Varika and accessible only by boat. No potable water exists for the 1,270 residents of Andonaka; all water is drawn from the Sakeleneoa River which also serves as a bath, laundry, and dishwashing source as well.
1 well and a reconstructed aqueduct provided to the mountain town of Imito, located 224 km south of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Zanabahona is one of the largest communities in Imito with a population of 2,300. Project conducted by Peace Corp Volunteer and local NGO.
Purchase and installation of a water pump for use by the members of Fanilo, the local farmers association in Antsakoana, a small town north of the town Amparafaravola, located in the Eastern part of Madagascar. The project gave the water control needed for the planting of currently unused rice fields. The project benefitted 280 people who work in the fields and their families.
1 well provided to Morarano, a rural village located 12 km southwest of the beach town of Foulpointe on the east coast of Madagascar. About 150 people live in the village center and 270 students come in from the surrounding hills on a daily basis: a total of 420. In a polluted pool, people bathe and wash laundry and dishes before taking the water home to cook and drink. The work was conducted by a school teacher with experience in digging lined latrines, a Peace Corps Volunteer, and a motivated health worker who lives in the village.
3 wells built in three different communities in northern Madagascar, carried out under the direction of a Peace Corps Volunteer and a local NGO ARES, which has organized teams to build over 50 wells. The three towns are in the commune of Anjangoveratra, district of Sambava: Antanandava, Anamboafo, and Marolamba, with a total population of 3,419, and no wells. Residents have to get their water from rivers, streams, and even rice paddies, which are polluted by cow and human waste. Several deaths in the towns in the past year have been attributed to water contamination.
4 wells built in the Amboromana district of Vohemar, Madagascar, which has a population of 1,836 people. People have to fetch water from a very distant dirty river, or do without. Oversight of the well construction was undertaken by ARES, a local NGO and Sister Rosalie, a Malagasy local.
5 wells improved in Anjangoveratra, which has a population of about 4,000. Project was overseen by a local health worker, the head of the women’s organization, as well as the Peace Corps Volunteer.
2 wells built for 2,200 people, about 600 of them children under 5. There is a local primary public school and a local Antsikory Women’s Group. Most community members use the local stream to collect water. Many of the children in the village of Antsikory suffer from diarrheal diseases and schistosomiasis, a disease caused by infection with freshwater parasitic worms in certain tropical and subtropical countries. The project is overseen by Peace Corps Volunteer, in cooperation with the Women’s Group.
In addition to our normal flow of well repairs, we have done this great work at Mandritsara hospital. Check out the details below:
Mandritsara Hospital
After drilling 40 meters of fractured volcanic rock, it was tested at 2500 liters/hour, the maximum capability with the testing equipment, and will be able to supply the hospital’s needs for years to come. A year ago, one of the surgeons there asked if we could help with their water problems. The municipal system goes dry for 4+ months each year and their private well can supply only 10% of their needs.
It’s difficult to do surgery and provide medical care in a fully functional hospital without enough water. The local and volunteer expat medical staff just grin and bear it, but their hands are already full living and practicing medicine in conditions long past in the modern world. Their spirit and positive outlook are an inspiration to keep going. Good News Hospital — Friends of Mandritsara Trust
Update on Mandritsara Hospital
The Madagascar Water Project just broke new ground by drilling a deep well in volcanic basalt, tapping into natural fractures to get water production. This is the first time the Project has drilled this deep, in this environment, using a drilling rig.
We received a request from the Good News Hospital — Friends of Mandritsara Trust for help with their annual water shortage. The municipal system in Mandritsara, a village of 30k people, feeds off a river that goes dry every year. The hospital has two wells that provide some relief but it is only 1/10th the volume normally needed. The hospital is expanding and needs reliable water supplies year-round.
The Project conducted field geology studies and used a geophysical study made by the hospital at the time of its initial construction in the 1990’s to identify a prospective location. The initial hole had to be abandoned at 11m due to a stuck pipe, but the second hole was successfully drilled to 40m without problems. The well tested 2500 liters/hour, which was the limit of the testing equipment, but it is likely capable of producing at twice that rate. The well is located in a rice field adjacent to the hospital complex and a 600-meter pipeline will tie it into their existing water system.
Check out the video below related to this project:
Conclusion of Village Well Program Phase II – Madagascar
Water Charity has completed Phase II of our Village Well Program in Madagascar.
This project has been completed under the direction of Fred Rittelmeyer, NPCA and THE MADAGASCAR WATER PROJECT INC.
This project has been completed.To read about the start of the project, CLICK HERE.
The Madagascar Water Project (MWP) has been a huge success overall and Phase II (as has been the case all along) is no exception. Water Charity has managed to repair wells in hundreds of villages in rural Madagascar.
The Madagascar Water Project – Water Charity Partnership engages in high-impact projects implemented over a relatively short period of time, with measurable results. Madagascar remains one of the poorest and least developed countries on Earth. It’s not a conflict area. There are no natural disasters, no earthquakes, no cyclones. However, there is a human crisis, hunger, disease, and lack of opportunity. The goal of the project is to begin the process for a better quality of life with better health and clean water is a fundamental beginning. Water Charity providing this most basic need lays the groundwork for a path to a better quality of life.
The program conducted a General Maintenance Trip for all wells installed by MWP since work began in 2015. It included 106 producing wells in 63 different villages across 2 Regions in Madagascar (Atsinanana and Vatovavy Fitovinany) that provide water to about 60,000 people. Each well is profiled in the report and organized chronologically. Routine maintenance was performed on every well and 20% required additional repairs. Spare pumps have become scarce since the end of the program last year, and this has delayed the repairs on several wells. The next trip is scheduled for early June, and the repairs will be made at that time. A cyclone passed through the area during the trip, so logistics were quite difficult. Since no one was hurt and the SUV stayed dry, Water Charity can look at the Trip with a good feeling of accomplishment. As it stands, all of the work we set out to do for Phase II was completed successfully on (or under) budget.
The Village Well Program Phase II – Madagascar project achieved all its objectives. Water Charitydrilled twenty-two wells in 14 villages that now provide clean water to an estimated 16,140 people also, twenty-two Well Management Committees were organized, which included technicians that were trained to maintain and repair the pumps.
Accomplishments of the project include the following:
• An estimated 16,140 people who previously lacked clean water now have clean, potable water • Fourteen rural villages that were vulnerable to water-borne diseases now have clean, accessible, community-based water systems • Twenty-two water wells were drilled inside vulnerable villages • Twenty-two Well Management Committees were organized to manage, maintain, and provide community water services in an equitable manner. A contact list was assembled to facilitate good communication and provide support year-round. • Technical training and spare parts were provided to each Well Management Committee. The table below provides the details for each well.
Most wells are drilled in half a day
Drilling is done manually. A hand auger is used to drill to the top of the water table, which is commonly found at 4 – 6 meters depth. After the depth of the water is determined, the good assembly is built, run in the hole, and hammered three meters to total depth. A hand pump is used to test the well. Once good production is established, a table and slab are built to finish the well. The villagers then build an enclosure or roofed hut to house the well.
Sustainability is ensured
Well, Management Committees are organized in each community, for each well. Technicians are identified and trained, and the tools required to maintain and repair the pumps are provided. Our team visits each well quarterly to provide guidance to the Committees and to make repairs as needed. The Project maintains a helpline where each Committee can get technical assistance and spare parts as needed. Most communities require little help beyond the quarterly visits and more than 90% of all wells remain productive.
Key Performance Indicators that will be quantified and assessed to determine the impact of the program include the following:
• Quantify and track the incidence of water-borne diseases and other diseases related to poor hygiene and sanitation. • Quantify and track the number of people having better access to clean water. An estimated 90% of the population of each village now have improved access to clean water. • Quantify and track the number of people who adopt improved health, hygiene, and sanitation behaviors. • Quantify and track school attendance and grades • Quantify and track the quality of life indicators such as income, individual productivity, infant mortality, and nourishment.
Water Charity would like to thank Fred Rittelmeyer for the incredible work he has done in Madagascar in partnership with Water Charity. Fred continues to be one of the most effective, uncompromising, and efficient friends to the people of Madagascar. Easily an order of magnitude more so than anyone else in the WASH sector doing development work there.
The work of the Partnership will continue, bringing clean water into more villages that wait patiently for this help. In most cases, the Program wells are the only sources of clean water in the villages.
There are still many villages in the area that have no source for clean water……………..there’s still much work to be done.
Please see the report pages below for further information.
The Madagascar Water Project: Master Well List: March 2020
This Program is made possible through a partnership of WATER CHARITY and THE MADAGASCAR WATER PROJECT INC.
Village Well Program Phase II:twenty-two wells in 14 villagesin Madagascar
Background
Water Charity’s partnership with The Madagascar Water Project began last year. Thirteen water wells were drilled in six villages that now provide clean water to over 15,000 people. Water quality was ensured with sealed wells that provide water with a hand-operated pump and periodic testing for both chemical and biological contamination. The wells were followed-up with the organization of Well Management Committees, WASH training, technical training-support and operational oversight to ensure the wells remain productive for many years. WASH is the acronym for Water and Sanitation Health Hygiene. It puts a multi-dimensional aspect to water and its use to improve the sanitation, health and hygiene of the population. Clean water is a new element in many places and guidance is needed to show the beneficiaries how to use it for its full benefits.
Location
Villages included in the partnership area are largely undeveloped due to pervasive poverty and their geographical isolation. The area is nearly inaccessible and far from their regional government centers in Toamasina and Fianarantsoa. Phase II will expand the project area south of the Mangoro River (Salehy), through Masomeloka to Nosy Varika and beyond, moving into the remote area where the distal ends of the Regions of Antsinanana and Fianarantsoa meet. A minimum of 22 additional wells will be drilled in villages located in a 30-mile stretch along the coast south of Masomeloka. It will include 12 rural villages, ranging in size from 500 to 5000 people, with a combined population exceeding 18,000 people. The villages included in the Phase II program are listed below, going north to south from Masomeloka.
The number of pumps shown in parenthesis ( ) are the number of broken pumps in each village. Many wells are built in rural villages with the best of intentions, oftentimes by contractors hired by NGOs that only drill wells and have no maintenance or sustainability programs. With no technical support, the pumps eventually fail with no system in place to fix them. The Madagascar Water Project and Water Charity Partnership have a time-dimensional program that ensures the long-term sustainability of the project objectives. The Village of Nosy Varika, population 7300, is in the project area and is a good example of the sustainability problem on a much bigger scale. A large water infrastructure project was built two years ago, only to break down in just a few weeks due to a lack of technical support and money for fuel. Their project includes water reservoirs, pipelines and pump stations, which is beyond the scale of the projects conducted by The Madagascar Water Project. Regrettably, this type of problem is all too common in Madagascar as it tries to dig its country out of the pit of poverty.
Community Description
The project area lies along the Pangalana Channel and some of its tributaries. The area is a long, narrow, sandy coastal plain on the eastern edge of the Madagascar Highlands. These conditions are optimal for the shallow water wells built by the Project. Most wells are 6 to 7 meters below ground level, some shallower, few deeper. The Project has been successful at finding locations in rural villages where the groundwater at these depths is uncontaminated. The Pangalana is a freshwater intracoastal waterway that serves as the primary source of drinking water as well as the location for washing, bathing, toileting, and waste disposal. The Pangalana is accessible by small boats and serves as the lifeline to the outside world for these communities. Villages in the area are made up of clusters of thatched houses made from local materials ranging in size from single-family enclaves of 10 homes to large villages with stores, commerce, schools, government offices, perhaps a small clinic, and a thousand homes or more. About 60% of the population is under the age of fifteen. Extreme poverty, malnutrition, water-borne disease, malaria and even the plague are widespread.
The villagers support themselves with artisanal fishing and farming. Lacking electricity, water services, sanitation facilities, most health & dental services, television, radio, and other amenities are taken for granted in the 21st Century, the people live in conditions not seen in communities in the developed world in over 100 years. The incredible progress the world has seen in the last century has passed them by. This description applies to hundreds of villages in the greater area. Most villages are accessible only by boat along the Pangalana Channel. During the dry season, the old road dating back to the French colonial days, Route Nacional RN-11A, is connected by a series of primitive auto ferries and can be used with a good 4WD vehicle. Logistics are one of the major challenges of this project. The villages are only 300 miles from the capital city of Antananarivo, but it takes a minimum of two days to travel there, when it is possible at all.
Program Objectives
The Project serves both Beneficiaries, those that benefit from the water, and Benefactors, those that support the program. It provides a direct, fast, visible and cost-effective way to provide aid to those in need of clean water. The specific Goals and Objectives of the Program are listed below: • Assess and identify rural villages that are vulnerable to water-borne diseases due to a lack of clean, accessible, community-based water; • Drill water wells inside villages; provide technical training, technical assistance, spare parts and oversight to ensure the long-term service of the well; • Organize Well Management Committees to manage, maintain and provide community water services in an equitable manner; provide regular consultation with the Committee to ensure the sustainability of this function and to empower the community to improve and help itself; • Provide guidance to the Committee and the wider community to utilize its water resources to develop and promote health, hygiene and sanitation initiatives; • Reduce the incidence of water-borne disease to zero; • Raise the quality of life in the village through better health; improve children’s health to help them attend and succeed in school; improve adult health to help them be more productive, increase their income, and to perform more activities related to an improved quality of life; • Provide a means for people that want to support rural development in developing countries with a means to provide that support; provide goals that are effective, visible and quantifiable; • Build a Madagascar company and train its staff to continue in perpetuity, without foreign help.
Problem Addressed
The Pangalana Channel is the primary source of drinking water in most villages. It is used for many activities which inevitably leaves it contaminated. A usable shoreline can be difficult to access and for some requires a long walk. Other sources of water, such as rivers, rice fields and open pits are more contaminated and not fit for drinking even after boiling. Many sources are unreliable, either going seasonally dry or being contaminated with sewage or sea water after large storms. Open wells eventually become contaminated after use and cannot be used for drinking without treatment. There are safety and security issues when walking outside a village after dark. A lack of clean water, along with poor sanitation and nutrition, has resulted in widespread dysentery, stunted growth and childhood development, and higher death rates in vulnerable populations. With widespread poverty, limited government resources and a relative scarcity of NGO assistance, large gaps in the social support network exist. This project will help bridge that gap. Local health data clearly shows accessible clean water will reduce the occurrence of water-borne diseases to nearly zero. Healthy people are less vulnerable to other diseases, which often kill people before old age does. Improved health allows more time to attend to the quality of life activities such as school, work, family care, and personal health. Although the description above does not paint a nice picture, most people look at these problems as a fact of life because they have never seen anything different. We all know it can be much better and the Project is committed to bringing this to them and your support will go a very long way to achieve our goals.
Project Description
The Village Well Program Phase II – Madagascar will provide clean water for twelve villages on the east coast of Madagascar in an area in and around Nosy Varika. It is an important infrastructure project that will provide the most basic essential element to living – clean, potable water. At least twenty-two wells will be drilled and fitted with hand-operated water pumps in villages ranging in size from 500 to 5000+ people. The work will be done by The Madagascar Water Project. The Project has been drilling water wells in the area for the past four years and is responsible for 74 producing wells – including 13 wells sponsored by Water Charity – in 39 villages, providing clean water to over 40,000 people. They use a stainless-steel well design, with imported down-hole screens and locally available steel pipe and hand pumps. With routine maintenance, each well will produce clean water for 10 years or more. The Project maintains a trained Team on the ground to ensure the wells keep flowing. The Project provides follow-up support with the organization of Well Management Committees, WASH training, technical training and support, and the provision of spare parts when needed. This follow-up support is key to the success of the Project and ensures the sustainability of the program objectives.
A Madagascar Water Project Assessment Team visited the area twice in recent months. Existing water resources and sanitation facilities were evaluated, and meetings were conducted with village leaders to learn of their needs and to assess their ability to accept and manage a new well. Geological studies were conducted to determine if groundwater was a viable resource. Villages included in the Village Well Program – Phase II program were identified based on the urgency of their need for clean water, population size, geology, the community’s ability to accept responsibility for the well and their ability to manage the well to improve the sanitation, health and hygiene of the village.
Monitoring and Maintenance
In addition to drilling the wells, the Project facilitates the organization of Well Management Committees and advises them on well management and resource utilization. The Project trains local personnel to maintain the well and provides tools and spare parts to perform these duties. The Project periodically inspects the pumps and wells and performs higher-level maintenance and repairs, when needed, using a Team based in Andovoranto. The Project empowers each village to manage their own resources, but it maintains a helping hand, when needed, and a watchful eye to ensure everything goes as planned.
Project Impact
An estimated 18,450 people will benefit from the project. The addition of an accessible, community-based source of clean water has measurable effects on the community. The incidence of water-borne disease is reduced significantly, sanitation and hygiene are improved and infant mortality and the mortality of vulnerable segments of the population will go down. With less time required to fulfill the basic need for clean water, people will become more focused on other essential activities such as education, nutrition, family and improving their own quality of life.
Dollar Amount of Project
Individual wells cost an estimated $750/well. Since logistics are the biggest expense, there is an economy of scale once you get to the area. The estimated cost of the 22-well projects is $15,000. Savings due to an economy of scale or lower project costs/well will be used to build more wells.
Program Funding The funds to start this program have been contributed by an anonymous donor. Your contribution using the Donate button below will be used to expand the program.
This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.
This program is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION, working with THE MADAGASCAR WATER.
Village Well Program Phase I: 8 Wells For Six Villages in Madagascar
Location: Six Villages (Fokotany), East Coast of Madagascar; Region of Antsinanana; District of Mahanoro
Commune of Masomeloka: Fokotany of Masomeloka, Antaniambo, Sohihy, Ampanotoana Commune of Betsizaraina: Fokotany of Salehy Commune of Ambodiharina: Fokotany of Andrianotsara
Figure 1: Location of the program on the east coast of Madagascar
Community Description:
The project area lies along the Pangalana Channel on the east coast of Madagascar. The Pangalana is a fresh-water intracoastal waterway that serves as the primary source of drinking water as well as the location for washing, bathing, toileting, and waste disposal.
The villagers support themselves with artisanal fishing and farming. Lacking electricity, water services, sanitation facilities, health & dental services, television, radio, and most other amenities taken for granted in the 21st Century, the people live in conditions not seen in communities in the developed world in over 100 years. The incredible progress the world has seen in the last century has truly passed them by.
Most villages are accessible only by boat along the Pangalana, with a series of primitive auto ferries connecting the old road dating back to the French colonial days. Logistics is one of the major challenges of this project.
The Pangalana Channel is the only way to reach the villages.
Problem Addressed:
The Pangalana Channel is the primary source of drinking water in most villages, but is contaminated and unsafe to access, with drownings occurring with some certainty. Other sources of water, such as rivers, rice fields and open pits are contaminated and not fit for drinking even after boiling. Many sources are unreliable, either going dry during the dry season or being contaminated with sewage or sea water after large storms. Open wells eventually become contaminated after use and cannot be used for drinking without boiling or filters.
A lack of clean water, along with poor sanitation and nutrition, has resulted in widespread dysentery, stunted growth and childhood development, and higher death rates in vulnerable populations. With widespread poverty, limited government resources and a relative scarcity of NGO assistance, large gaps in the social support network exist.
Project Description:
Eight wells will be drilled in the six villages shown below:
The Project will provide clean water for large to medium-sized villages that have no reliable, year-round source of clean drinking water. The Village Well Program Phase I – Madagascar will build eight water wells in six villages along the Pangalana Channel. Hand pumps will be used to provide villagers with potable water. Existing open “bucket” wells will be chemically disinfected and cleaned.
This is an important Infrastructure project that can provide the jump-start these villages need to move into the 21st century. The addition of an accessible, community-based source of clean water has measurable effects on the community. The incidence of water-borne disease is reduced significantly, sanitation and hygiene are improved and infant mortality and the mortality of vulnerable segments of the population go down. With less time required to fulfill the basic need for clean water, people become more focused on other needs such as education, nutrition, family and improving their own quality of life.
The work will be done by The Madagascar Water Project. The Project has done similar work in the area and is responsible for building 43 producing wells in other villages along the Pangalana Channel. They use a stainless-steel well design, with imported down-hole screens and locally available hand pumps. With routine maintenance, each well will produce clean water for 10 years or more. The Project maintains a trained Team on the ground to ensure the wells keep flowing.
A Madagascar Water Project Assessment Team visited the area in December 2017. Existing water resources and sanitation facilities were evaluated, and meetings were conducted with village leaders to learn of their needs and to assess their ability to accept and manage a new well. Geological studies were conducted to determine if ground water was a viable resource.
Villages included in the Village Well Program – Phase I program were identified based on the urgency of their need for clean water, population size, geology, the community’s ability to accept responsibility for the well and their ability to manage the well to improve the sanitation, health and hygiene of the village.
Monitoring and Maintenance:
In addition to drilling the wells, the Project facilitates the organization of Well Management Committees and advises them on well management and resource utilization. The Project trains local personnel to maintain the well and provides tools and spares to perform these duties. The Project periodically inspects the pumps and wells and performs higher level maintenance and repairs, when needed, using a Team based in Andovoranto.
The Project empowers each village to manage their own resources, but it maintains a helping hand, when needed, and a watchful eye to ensure everything goes as planned.
Due to the extremely remote nature of the villages, logistics represent about one-third of the total cost. Savings due to an economy of scale or lower project costs/well will be used to build more wells. At this point, villages needing clean water in this area number in the hundreds.
Project Impact An estimated 14,925 people will benefit from the project.
Program Funding The funds to start this program have been contributed by an anonymous donor. Your contribution using the Donate button below will be used to expand the program.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project,CLICK HERE.
Location
Ampasimbola, District Amparafaravola, Madagascar
Community Description
Antsakoana is a small village south of the town Amparafaravola located in the Eastern part of Madagascar. Ampasimbola is one of 20 communes in District Amparafaravola.
The district of Amparafaravola, is located in a large rice-producing area near Lake Alaotra in central Madagascar. Rice farming is seasonal work and families that do not own land must send their entire family, including children, to work in the fields of others. Landless families are forced to forego education for their children. Going without ample food for extended periods of time leads to the chronic condition of malnutrition, which persists in children even during times when they have enough to eat.
ZAHATRA is a local non-governmental organization operating in Madagascar, a nation that suffers from some of the highest rates of poverty and childhood malnutrition in the world. ZAHATRA means “raft” in Malagasy, and the metaphor is intentional: These families are waiting to cross the river to a better life, they just don’t have any way to get there. ZAHATRA is their raft.
ZAHATRA’s mission is to ensure that all children have the right to food, education, health and the opportunity for a better life. With support from local government and churches, ZAHATRA’s dedicated Malagasy volunteers provide food and school supplies to vulnerable children and offer vocational training and social support to their parents or guardians.
20 children and their families are currently supported by ZAHATRA and are fed in the newly constructed community center. There are many more families that are unable to adequately feed their children or send them to school. However, the organization is unable to assist other families due to a lack of a close water source.
Project Description
This project is to dig a well between the local elementary school and the community center in which ZAHATRA operates its feeding program. In addition, a handwashing station will be built.
Steps to be taken include preparation of the land, purchase of materials, digging of well, construction of well cover and pulley, and construction of the handwashing station.
The property where the well will be built is community property, public land overseen by the head of the village. The well will benefit all those in the village (fokontany of Ampasimbola).
The well will be hand dug to a depth of about 12 meters. Soil conditions are such that it will not be necessary to line the well.
A cover, made of brick, cement, and iron, will prevent the entry of contaminants.
The handwashing station will be built from brick, stones, and cement. A large water container will be attached and soap will hang from the side.
Water Charity funds will purchase the materials for the well cover and pulley, buckets, piping, and for the handwashing station, as well as to pay for skilled labor.
Members of the community, including members of ZAHATRA, will assist in managing of the project, purchasing of supplies, preparing the land, and teaching health lessons at the center and at the elementary school regarding the importance of hand washing.
Project Impact
20 children being provided meals from the feeding programs will benefit from the project. In addition, there are 75-100 students who go to the elementary school at any given time, and about 10 nearby families, that will also benefit from the well.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Teena Curry
Comments
This is a necessary and cost-effective infrastructure project that will improve the lives of a large number of people.
Dollar Amount Needed $99.00 – This project has received major funding through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation, with the expectation of additional donations from the friends, family, and supporters of the Peace Corps Volunteer.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the Peace Corps Volunteer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV 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.
This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Bourret.
To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was to dig a well to provide a water supply for the people of Morarano.
Andrew reports:
So – after waiting out two cyclones, I was able to finish the well in my village after all. Luckily, Morarano was spared any major damage.
Work progressed as follows:
We found it would be less work and actually cheaper to have the rings made off site and trucked into the village. This proved a little difficult as the road is very bad, but we managed to get all the materials in intact.
Work commenced quickly and within a week the project was basically finished. The technique we used was to dig under the bottom-most ring, slowly sinking the well shaft into the ground. We did this until all four meter-long rings had been placed. The rings were sealed together with cement.
On the whole, work progressed smoothly and the villagers were very motivated to get everything finished. The one problem we did encounter, however, was sticky mud. On one occasion, with three rings in place, the bottom-most ring fell abruptly while the top two fell a few seconds later. This effectively broke the seal between the rings at a place below the water table meaning water could flood in from the sides of the well rather than the bottom. Resealing the rings in this manner proved difficult as the cement would never have a chance to dry as long as water was pouring over it and pushing it out of place.
I went in search of a well technician in Foulpointe, while the villagers dug around the outside of the well. After coming back with the technician, I discovered the villagers had solved the problem, but opted to keep the technician on site to avoid any further catastrophes. In the end, there were no other problems.\
A wooden well cover was added, in addition to a wooden frame and pulley system. The base around the well was finished with cement. In total, the well is about 3.5 meters deep. On an average day, about 1.5 of these meters is under water making available in excess of 700 liters of clean water to 300 – 400 people.
Villagers are very pleased to have a new clean source of water in their village. As the work progressed, I could sense the excitement building as people started to realize what impact the presence of a well and clean water would have on their lives. Many people have thanked me personally for helping to make this happen.
I wish to pass that thanks on to the people who organize and contribute to Water Charity. I have a number of people back home working on fundraisers to contribute to this project. I hope to complete a second near the elementary school in the near future.
Until then, THANK YOU for making this possible.
We, in turn, express our gratitude to Andrew for completing this terrific project, despite the difficulties, and extend our thanks to Andrew’s friends and family for providing the funding.
Location
Village of Adrenilaivelo, Commune of Mahazoarivo, District of Fandriana, Madagascar
Community Description
Andrenilaivelo is a livestock and farming community of approximately 200-250 people located in the central highlands of Madagascar. There are 25 households of mostly (98%) farmers of rice, cassava and sweet potatoes. A lot of the women are also grass mat weavers.
Andrenilaivelo has no source of potable water, forcing long treks to the river with buckets as part of the daily routine.The people are aware that their lack of a water source is affecting their productivity in daily life. It is also having a detrimental effect on their health and that of their children.
Project Description
This project is to build a community well at the school in Andrenilaivelo.
The centrally-located well will be hand dug to a depth of about 10-15 meters. It will be both brick and concrete lined with a small aluminum-roofed structure surrounding the well. The water will be potable water without treatment.
Appropriate Projects funds will be used for the materials, including cement, bricks, rope, and nails, and also for the wages for the technician.
Community participation in the project consists of the labor, contracting with and supervising a professional well technician, providing sand and wood, and contributing extra funds as necessary for completion.
Project Impact
250-300 people will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Daniel Branch
Comments
A reliable source of potable water will be important for the health and wellbeing of the entire community.
Dollar Amount of Project
$400.00
Donations Collected to Date
$400.00 + additional amounts
Dollar Amount Needed $0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Daniel Branch. In addition, extra funds have been received for future projects.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Daniel of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Daniel 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.
Conclusion of Andrenilaivelo Well Project – Madagascar
This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Daniel Branch.
To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was to build a community well at the school in Andrenilaivelo.
Daniel reports:
The well project in Andrenilaivelo has been completed.
The process went as follows: First a hole 1 1/2 meters in diameter was hand dug to a depth of 22 meters, where water was reached. The water was then removed bucket by bucket until the well was dry.
The next step was to place small stones on the bottom and then the bricks were lined along the first 12 meters of the hole. The bricks were sent down by bucket, 8 at a time.
After the bricks were in place, work on the surface began. A foundation of cement reinforced with rebar was then poured around the hole. The hole was then slowly tapered upwards with bricks and cement.
Once that was in place, the housing structure was then built using bricks and cement. Dimensions of the house are 6 1/2 ft. high by 4 1/2 ft. wide. The house was then finished off with an aluminum roof and a pinewood door with a lock.
Above the hole, a beam was built into the house in which the pulley was attached for the drawing of water.
Upon completion, the community met and elected 3 representatives to be the custodians of the keys. In addition, hours were set for the use of the well, opening at 5:30 AM and then closing for the night at 6:30 PM.
Community participation was vital for completion. They found the bricks that were needed, provided the wood, found the transport that was necessary to get the materials to the site, pitched in funds when they ran out to purchase the pulley and the hinges for the door, and finally provided housing for the 3 technicians who built the well.
As for the project as a whole, it went surprisingly smoothly, and was greatly received by the community. They were very thankful for Appropriate Projects and the family and friends that supported the project.
One comment from the villagers was that they had so much more time to complete other tasks that would be normally designated for the daily trip to the river. Thanks again!
We extend our thanks to Daniel for completing this excellent project, and to his friends and family for providing the funds.
Location
FKT Amindratombo, C/R Sahambavy, District Lalangina, Fianarantsoa, Madagascar
Community Description
The community of Sahambavy, located in the southern highlands of Madagascar, consists of approximately 17,000 people spread across 10 villages. Sahambavy is known for all of the tea production in Madagascar, is a stop on one of the last operating train routes in-country, and has a hotel to accommodate travelers.
The village of Amindratombo is located about 7 km away from the center of the commune with a population of about 1,500 people. It has a primary school that houses grades 1-5 and the students range from 5 to 10 years old.
A previous well project, under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Tisa Kunkee, the Amindratombo School Well Project – Madagascar, was just completed at the same primary school. Now the students and neighboring villagers have a clean water source, but the students still use the woods nearby as a bathroom. Most of the primary schools do not have latrines, including this one, which contaminates farming fields and other water sources available to the village.
Project Description
This project is to build 2 latrines at the primary school in the village of Amindratombo. The latrines will be built within one structure, one for the students and one for the teachers.
Project funds will be used to purchase and transport the following materials: bricks, cement, wood, mortar, sand, paint, sheet metal and locks.
During the previous well project, the technicians dug 20+ meters but hit rock, leaving a big empty hole. This hole will now be used for the latrines.
The technicians will dig angles so that both latrines will empty into the one hole. The major part of the project will be purchasing and transporting the materials to the site and building the latrine structure.
Labor and equipment costs are included in the budget as well. The same technician from the well project will manage the latrine project. Bricks, nails, cement, and paint left over from the well project will be used for the latrines.
An opening ceremony for the well and latrines will follow the completion of the latrines where an educational session will be given about the links of diarrheal diseases, latrines, handwashing, clean water, and health.
Project Impact
200+ students and 3 teachers will directly benefit from the project. Indirect beneficiaries will be the approximately 1,500 villagers.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Tisa Kunkee
Comments
This project is necessary for the health and well-being of the students and staff at the school. It utilizes the existing hole for the storage of waste and leftover materials to build the latrines. The latrines serve to protect the environment, and specifically the water source.
Dollar Amount of Project
$495.00
Donations Collected to Date
$495.00
Dollar Amount Needed $0.00 – This project now has been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Tyler Dato of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Tyler 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.
Conclusion of Amindratombo School Latrine Project – Madagascar
This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Tisa Kunkee.
To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was to build 2 latrines at the primary school in Amindratombo.
Tisa reports:
The primary school director, teachers, students and villagers of Amindratombo are excited that not only do they have a well, but now a latrine for the primary school. This project went much smoother than the first, the weather being the only road block.
Upon receiving funds, the PCV and counterpart purchased the project materials, both in the community and in the larger city nearby. Since a 20 meter hole already existed from the previous well project attempt, the technicians were ready to build right away.
It was currently rainy season so we had to wait for the road to be dry enough for the camion truck to bring the bricks to the site. The school had already had bricks they had reserved to make additional classrooms as well as left-over bricks from the previous project, so after waiting too long, they decided to begin work using these bricks only to replace them once the roads were drivable.
The top of the hole was modified so that both latrines would empty into the one hole. After that, the technicians quickly constructed the latrine (which stood strong through a cyclone that recently passed through the country). It was a good choice to have the cement mold for the floor, as opposed to the simple dirt floor, because not only will the latrines be easier to clean but once it is full (after maybe 20 years!) they can take these molds as well as the other sturdy materials to build the next latrine.
The schools plans to have a party to celebrate the finished construction but they already have the keys to both latrine and well, so they can put them to use.
We wish to thank Tisa for completing this project, and again extend our gratitude to The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust for providing the funding.
Project Impact
This proved a little difficult as the road is very bad, but we managed to get all the materials in intact.
Project Impact
A previous well project, under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Tisa Kunkee, the 
Labor and equipment costs are included in the budget as well. The same technician from the well project will manage the latrine project. Bricks, nails, cement, and paint left over from the well project will be used for the latrines.
