Location
Faraba, Saraya, Tambacounda, Senegal
Community Description
Faraba is a Malinke village situated 7 kilometers from the department center of Saraya. There are 200-300 people in the village, depending on the time of year.
Sustenance crops are corn, millet, sorghum, rice, and peanuts. The only cash crop grown is cotton. Faraba is ideal for vegetable gardening because of the seasonal river next to which it lies. It is in fact known in the region for being the best producer of vegetables. Artisanal gold mining is prevalent in the area surrounding Faraba.
Beside one functioning water pump on the outskirts of the village, there is no running water or electricity in the village. There is a health relay and there are representatives to the sub-regional government extension group, the Communaute Rurale.
There are two women’s groups in the village, one headed by Dabo Singoura, and the other by Mbamussa Damba. Almost every woman in the village is a member of one of the groups. The women have demonstrated innovation and tireless motivation in their garden, as well as a large capacity to function harmoniously with two groups working in one space daily.
In 2010, a Peace Corps Volunteer helped the women fund a fencing and well-digging project for their garden. The well is seven meters deep. The community contributed a quarter of the capital for building the well and fence. However, the well is not reinforced with cement, nor is it deep enough. As the well begins to run dry in February each year, the women’s vegetables die and much of their initial investment is lost.
There is a growing market for women to sell their produce. It is an exciting opportunity to increase family income, but the unreliability of the well in the hot season renders this opportunity inaccessible. The incentive to go to work in the gold mines is strong, as vegetable production and income drop so severely during the dry season. Many of the women in Faraba, however, continue to work in the gardens, drawing water from the forage or the wells in their compound, and carrying it to the garden.
The women have attended gardening and nutrition trainings in the area and at the USAID/Peace Corps Master Farm site that is in Faraba.
Project Description
This project is to improve the well by increasing the depth by 3 meters.
The project will be implemented under the direction of the Faraba Women’s Groups. The well will be reinforced with concrete formed in molds.
A well digger in Saraya, Iburahima Niakhasso, has been identified to dig the well.
Water Charity funds will cover labor, cement, and iron bars to reinforce the cement molds.
Once the well is finished, the women will conduct trainings for other women’s groups in the area. With the increasing presence of non-governmental agencies in the area, the women have acquired technical and theoretical knowledge enough to start holding their own pieces of training.
Project Impact
50 women will directly benefit from the project. The population of Faraba, about 300 people, will reap the benefits of the success of the women’s groups as well.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Rene Lloyd
Comments
Having access to water will allow the women to work throughout the dry season and achieve full harvests of their vegetables. This will enable the women to capitalize on the growing markets for vegetables around Faraba and improve the nutrition in their households.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation, with the help of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Rene Lloyd.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Rene of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Rene and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.