Location
Village of Ngaraff, department of Linguere, region of Louga, Senegal
Community Description
Ngaraff is a 400-person community located on the national highway near the town of Linguere, Senegal. The population of the village is primarily composed of ethnic Wolof people whose primary source of income is the subsistence farming of millet, peanuts, and beans.
To subsidize the diet of their families, as well as to earn extra income, 45 women in the village maintain a community garden where they grow eggplant, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, carrots, and other vegetables, as well as moringa trees.
There is no electricity in the village, and water is drawn from a few taps scattered throughout the village. The source of the water is a deep-bore well located five kilometers away.
Currently, there is one water tap located in the 100 m x 100 m community garden. The tap supplies the 45 members with a total of approximately 6,000 liters of water every day. Because of its distance from the mainline and the size of the pipe, it flows very slowly, causing the women to wait for hours every morning and evening to fill their watering containers. Also, the women with plots farther from the hose have to carry the heavy jugs for up to 75 meters. As a result, some women reduce the number of plots they tend or choose to participate in the garden only minimally.
Project Description
The members of the Ngaraff Community Garden will build a 2 m x 3 m x 1 m cement basin to store water to use for irrigation of the garden. The basin will be attached to the mainline using underground piping, which will allow it to be filled on a continual basis.
The women also will acquire a horizontal water pump, designed by an appropriate technologies company in North Carolina, which will aid in the movement of water from the basin to the outlying garden plots.
The members of the garden will have access to the reservoir of water at times of the day that are suitable for watering, instead of having to wait for each jug to be individually filled.
The Village Garden Committee has already secured the commitment of the masons and ensured the involvement of interested community members. It will be responsible for supervising the project throughout its duration. A village mason has already drawn up plans and completed a budget for the project.
The people of Ngaraff will provide the sand and rocks for the basin.
Project funds will be used for the necessary materials, equipment, labor, and transportation costs required to build the cement basin with underground piping and the attached water pump and extension hose.
Project Impact
Through improved nutrition and extra income, all 400 people of the village of Ngaraff, including the 55 women who have plots in the garden, will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Emily Naftalin
Comments
The construction of the water basin and pump will allow the women to increase their vegetable yields in the garden, thereby increasing the health of the community and allowing for additional supplementary income for the women and their families. Emily previously successfully completed the Ngaraff Health Hut Water and Sanitation Project – Senegal.
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 Elmo Foundation.
This project has been concluded.
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.
