Location
Toubacouta, Fatick, Senegal, West Africa
Community Description
Toubacouta resides 30 km from the border of The Gambia and sits on the edge of the Delta Du Saloum River. Although primarily known as a tourist destination, the population is home to an estimated 6,000 people, but with the surrounding smaller villages approximately 9,000 people.
The main economic driver for Toubacouta is tourism, with two large hotels and numerous smaller hostels. Currently, the majority of the vegetables that are being used at the hotels are imported from Dakar, the capital over 250 km away. Although they cannot buy everything they need from Toubacouta, many vegetables and fruits can still be bought locally.
The majority of Toubacouta has access to running water and electricity. However, because of its unique location, the tap water is too salty to drink or water agricultural crops. All of the drinking water is either sold through boutiques or is carted by donkey chariots from other wells in smaller villages.
The town is fairly large, with two primary schools and one college, CEM de Toubacouta. There are an estimated 900 students who attend this school but have been having issues with teacher strikes and generally raising funds for supplies.
CEM de Toubacouta is the only middle school within a surrounding 5km. Because of the strikes and the lack of maintenance, 10 out of 14 of the latrines for the students are unusable, leaving only 4 latrines functioning.
Project Description
This project at the school has two components. The first is to build a well to provide drinking water for the children, and sufficient water to start a community garden. The second is to renovate the broken latrines.
Well: The well will be 10 to 15 meters deep (depending on the water table), cement lined, and capped. A pump will be installed using the same technology as used in the successful 52 Pumps in 52 Weeks program, incorporating a rope pump with a half cement lid.
Water Charity funds will pay for the transportation of materials, cement mixture, rebar, labor for the cement lining, as well as building the well cap and pump.
The well will be located within the school to provide drinking water for the students. It also will provide water for a school garden, in order to be able to farm local produce to sell to the hotels. This will hopefully give much-needed income to the school and also be more cost-effective for the hotels and restaurants in the area.
An experienced well digger, with the assistance of the Peace Corps Volunteer and his local counterpart, will dig the well.
All the materials will be transported to the school and the well will be cemented and lined. Finally, the well cap and pump will be installed.
Latrines: There are 10 latrines that are in need of repair. Six of these latrines are in a building south of the school, and the other 4 are located on the northern end by their fields.
Water Charity funds will be used to purchase cement, latrine pits, faucets, piping, and PVC piping for the septic tank.
The broken latrines will be removed and the damage to the other latrines will be assessed.
A trench will be dug in order to bring water from the current line to the northern building, an estimated 30-40 meters.
The faucets and piping will then be connected to the building and the new latrines will be cemented in. A flushing kettle will be placed in each of the latrines.
The labor for the plumbing installation and the latrines will be paid for by Water Charity, but the community and students will help remove latrines and help dig the trench needed to install the water.
An education component will provide information about hygiene and sanitation for the students and staff.
Project Impact
Well: By building the well 900 students will have access to clean drinking water. The school will be able to start the process of a school garden and can be capable of raising money to reduce student tuitions, pay the teachers, and buy needed supplies.
Latrines: The renovation of the bathrooms will provide 900 students and teachers the ease and access to public toilets. It will give them hygienic conditions, and reduce the number of breaks in the teaching process.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Robert Rivera
The major portion of this project, in the amount of $700, has been funded through the generosity of the Fundación para la Educación y el Desarrollo Transpersonal, of Madrid, Spain. Additional funding has been received from friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Robert Rivera.
This project has been concluded.
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