This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Kelly Kayser. To read about the start of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was designed to construct a well for middle school students.
Kelly reports:
I am happy to inform you that we have finished construction on the well at our local middle school, made possible by Water Charity.
The scope of this project was to provide a hand-dug well for the middle school students in the Lelouma region of Guinea. Female students were previously responsible for bringing water from their homes to provide water for toileting, hand washing, and drinking. This was determined to be a barrier for encouraging girls to attend school.
This project was successful in helping to eliminate this barrier and providing water for over 300 students.
A hand-dug well was completed within the school grounds. The well was then lined with concrete and covered with a concrete cap and door. A pulley system was installed to help the girls pull up the water, as the well is over 10 meters deep.
Over the course of 3 weeks, laborers hand-dug the well. Once they hit the water, they added one more meter to make sure water would be available year-round. After this, concrete rings were created then lowered into the well, effectively lining the walls to prevent dirt from falling in. A concrete cap was erected and a pulley system installed, as shown in the pictures.
The middle school students now have a fresh source of water for their handwashing stations and drinking. I have worked with the teachers on how to treat the water with bleach once a month. The water will also be used for a school garden, which will be done in conjunction with the local women’s group. The students and teachers are extremely grateful to have this addition to their school grounds.
Just last week local government officials chose Lafou to visit for the commencement of 6th-grade exams. They couldn’t stop talking about how important this new well is and how they believe it will encourage more girls to stay in school and more parents to invest in further improvements to the school. We already had one parent pay to replace the deteriorating tin roof on the latrines!
Thank you so much for this opportunity.
We extend our thanks to Kelly for completing this important project.