Kondokho Pump Repair and Training Project – Senegal

Location
Village of Kondokho, Region of Kedougou, Senegal

Community Description
Kondokho is a village of about 1,000 people, with no electricity and no paved roads. There is a seasonal river with running water from June to October, around which women do subsistence gardening. The community has one new health post.

Pumps are the only water source for the village during the dry season, which extends through 7 months of the year. Currently Kondokho has two public hand pumps and one school pump (India mark II and III). All three pumps continuously break down, causing considerable water access problems.

The granitic geological layer in the area does not allow the community to dig a new well within local means, available technology, and resources. This would require that a drilling company be hired to drill the borehole, and the community does not have the funds to do this.

Few competent technicians can provide fixing services in the event of a pump breakdown, and that at an exorbitant cost (anywhere between 50,000 to 200,000 FCFA).

Project Description
This project is to repair the three pumps in the community while simultaneously creating a pump maintenance and repair team, and instilling the skills necessary to carry out future maintenance and repairs.

Project funds will be used to purchase the tools in Dakar.

The training, maintenance and repairs will be performed in Kondokho on the two public hand pumps and the school pump.

The technology is that of India mark II and III hand pumps. The Peace Corps Volunteer will personally buy the tools, transport them to Kondokho, and organize and facilitate the training.

The actual repairs and maintenance will be done by local villagers.

The community is participating in having organized a structured pump maintenance and repair team. They have shown dedication to the safekeeping of the tools and the safeguarding of technical knowledge through time.

Project Impact
The entire village of 1,000 people will benefit from the project. This project will especially benefit women as they are the ones pumping water.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Martin Van den Berghe

Comments
This project, to teach locals to maintain and fix their hand pumps, will improve significantly the water access problems faced by the community, at a minimal cost. Sustainability is built into the process.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00

Dollar Amount Needed

$0.00 – This project 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 Martin Van den Berghe of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Martin and/or those other PCVs in the country of service.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.