Location
Sare Sara, Region of Kolda, Senegal
Community Description
Saré Sara is a small town of approximately 425 residents located along the national highway in the southern region of Kolda, Senegal. Sare Souma, Sintchon Alonso and Amantoulaye are three of the small satellite villages that lie 1-2 km south of Saré Sara.
The four villages are majority Pulaar speaking, with primary economic dependence on subsistence farming, sale of field crops and vegetables, and small business ventures. The primary agricultural outputs are corn, millet, peanuts, cotton, and rice.
Saré Sara is divided into 46 family compounds, with a population of 30% adult males, 27% adult female, 22% boys and 21% girls. Each of the satellite villages has 30-50 residents living in 2-5 family compounds. Exact demographic information for these villages is unknown but can be assumed to be similar to Saré Sara.
Since the completion of a two-phase well improvement project initiated by the previous volunteer, the incidence of diarrheal disease in Saré Sara has decreased considerably. Due to the success of that project, village leaders from the surrounding areas have requested a continuation of the work.
Project Description
This project is to improve 8 wells in 4 villages.
Two wells have been identified for improvement in each of the four villages: Saré Sara, Sare Souma, Sintchon Alonso and Amantoulaye.
All eight of the wells to be improved are simple, hand-dug, unlined pits. They reach an average depth of 15-20 meters, with the water table highly variable throughout the year. Currently, the pits present hazards both from contamination and physical injury. All of the wells lack cement well heads, leaving them vulnerable to surface runoff and collapse.
Construction will include the reinforcement of well openings to prevent collapse, the creation of ~60 cm high cement well heads, and the installation of custom wooden covers.
Following construction, all wells will be sanitized with bleach, and communities will be given short lessons on the importance of good sanitation and hygiene practices, including continual well bleaching and hand washing with soap.
The cement work will be done by a local mason from Saré Sara, while the covers will be made by a carpenter from Sintchon Alonso. All work will be coordinated by the PCV community counterpart in Saré Sara, Mr. Oumar Diamanka.
Funds will be used for the purchase of materials (cement, wooden planks, metal door hinges and bleach) as well as for the labor of the mason and carpenter. The communities will be providing sand, rocks, water and transportation of materials to the various sites. The door hinges will be purchased in the regional capital by the volunteer, but all other materials are available in Saré Sara through local vendors.
As previous phases of this project have already been completed, the mason and carpenter are both well acquainted with the requirements and expectations of the project, and are confident that once materials are purchased work will proceed quickly
Project Impact
175 people will benefit from this project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Katie Pollak
Comments
Completion of this project will ensure that 100% of wells in Saré Sara and the surrounding villages are at a safe standard.
Dollar Amount of Project
$480.00
Donations Collected to Date
$480.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Katie Pollak.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Katie of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Katie 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.