This project is part of our 52 Pumps in 52 Weeks Program, being implemented by Peace Corps Volunteers Marcie Todd and Garrison Harward. To read about the program and follow its progress, CLICK HERE.
Location
Nema Bah, Fatick, Senegal
Community Description
Nema Bah is a medium-sized village of about 800 people. Their main source of income comes from agriculture but is also subsidized by fishing and family members working in larger cities. Situated right on the Delta, the village is beautiful, surrounded by mangroves and with lots of dedicated and hard-working farmers who are making great progress towards improving their lives.
There are three separate community gardens just outside the village, as most people garden here. Even before Peace Corps came to this site they had already started utilizing many of the improved techniques that we teach, such as composting, mulching for water conservations, and using organic natural solutions for pest management. They’re seriously innovative!
We first came to this village a year and a half ago when we were first developing our improved rope pump system. They have 6 rope pumps in this space installed by the NGO that founded the group. They work pretty well but they’re very bulky and not easily repaired.
Project Description
Like every piece of equipment, these pumps eventually developed problems and because they weren’t easy to fix they ended up just sitting there becoming increasingly less functional until they stopped working altogether. The last time we went to the village the president of the group brought this up to us and asked if there was anything we could do to help. They didn’t even bat an eye when we said they would have to raise money for part of the repairs; they just wanted to get it done.
The plan here is to take the three broken pumps and replace all of their respective broken parts and tune them up until they work again. We will also connect the group to our pump producer in Toubacouta so if they have any future problems they can fix them on their own.
This is the link that was previously missing. It’s not enough to just give someone a fancy piece of equipment. They need to have a way to maintain it in order for it to really be useful in the long run.
Project Impact
75 Women and girls who work in the garden will benefit from these pumps.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Garrison Harward and Erica Berlin
Comments
This project re-asserts the importance of building sustainability into development projects. The knowledge and information that is passed on is as important as the piece of equipment left behind. It also shows that you can repair nonfunctional equipment for a fraction of the cost of building it from scratch.
Dollar Amount of Project
$150.00
Donations Collected to Date
$150.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Husain Rasheed, of Galena, OH, USA, and dedicated to Parveen Rasheed.
If you now contribute $150 (our new price, which includes labor), your name will be placed on the waiting list to adopt the next project in order.
If you wish to contribute less than $150, the money will be applied toward the overall program.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.