Loumbol Samba Abdul Middle School Latrine Project – Senegal

Location
Loumbol Samba Abdul, Matam, Senegal

Community Description
The community of Loumbol Samba Abdul has a population of 1,500-2,000 people. It is located 3 kilometers from the Route Nationale 3, one of the major national routes that goes across Senegal. It is in the middle of the Matam region in the Eastern section of Senegal, and is typically referred to as The Ferlo.

The village is mostly dedicated to farming and livestock, as people of the traditional Fulbe or Pulaar ethnicity are known to be herders and farmers.

Loumbol has no electricity but some buildings are powered by solar power. There is an elementary school, a middle school, a health post, and a rural community office.

Water for the village comes from a water tower in the middle of the village to which all water spigots (inside and outside family compounds) are attached.

Problem Addressed
At the middle school (collége), which is a 15-minute walk from the center of Loumbol, there is no water, and a bathroom that is a quarter of the way finished. This bathroom was funded by certain men of the village, but they ran out of money and cement to complete the project.

The collége has four levels of students who do not have a bathroom to use, and practice open defecation. In addition, there is no handwashing station for the students to use for proper hygiene.

Project Description
This project is to complete the latrine and build a handwashing station at the school.

The project will be directed by a staff of the CEM Loumbol Samba Abdul. The work will be done as a contribution by teachers, students, and parents, who will also supply the construction equipment.

Water Charity funds will be used to pay for the materials, including concrete, sand, gravel, doors, aluminum sheets, and gravel, and also to pay for transportation of the materials to the site.

The bathroom will be a building with two separate stalls. There are two dug pits behind the main latrine foundation that is six feet deep, but need to be deepened to proper standards. The foundation and walls will be completed, doors added, and roofing installed. Toilet seats, piping, and aeration pipes will complete the project.

Large portable containers will be used to store water for flushing toilets, handwashing, and cleaning of the latrines. Students and teachers will refill the containers with the help of neighboring families.

Students, staff, and parents will build a handwashing station known as a “tippy tap”, and will be instructed in its use. The station provides a process for obtaining water for washing hands that reduces contamination.

The construction and use of the tippy tap, as well as basic hygiene principles, will be taught to the community. A study will evaluate the health improvements achieved in the village through the use of the handwashing stations.

Project Impact
85 students and teachers will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Emma Martz

Monitoring and Maintenance
Students and teachers will clean and maintain the bathroom. The teachers and principal of the school will ensure the security of the bathroom, keeping it locked during the hours when the school is closed.

Comments
This project will improve the sanitary conditions for the students. The planning, building, and maintenance process will teach members of the community proper water and sanitation hygiene practices, leading to an overall improvement of health.

This project is a part of our ongoing Western Africa Water & Sanitation Program.

Fundraising Target
$450

Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects in the country.

Donations Collected to Date
$0

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT.

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you “naming rights”, if that is something you would like.

Dollar Amount Needed
$450

This project has been completed.  To see the results, CLICK HERE.