Location
Velyka Lepetykha, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
Community Description
About 7,000 people live in the rural community of Velyka Lepetykha, which is located in the southern Ukrainian oblast of Kherson. The town is largely agricultural and isolated from opportunities for new information and technology.
350 children attend Velyka Lepetykha School Number 2 for secondary education, which encompasses grades 1 through 11. Using locally sourced water, the school cafeteria serves breakfast and lunch to its students and faculty each day. Although this water comes from a well 80-meters below ground level, it contains a significant number of contaminants. The nitrates, sulfates and chlorides found in the water are only further concentrated when the daily lunches of soup and tea are boiled.
A water filter is the only viable solution to reduce the amount of harmful contaminants the children consume daily. However, funding for the school is scarce, to the level at which the school day is shortened to make up for the fact that there is not enough funding for adequate heating in the winter months.
Project Description
This project is to purchase and install a water filter in the cafeteria at Velyka Lepetykha School Number 2.
Profiltron, a water filter company out of Saint Petersburg, supplied through Kherson, has worked to find the ideal filter for the needs of the school. The Aquaphor Viking Plus Filter is a two-stage filter designed to purify 40,000 liters of drinkable water at a flow rate of 10 liters per minute.
The filtration system removes impurities such as chlorine, heavy metal ions, organic compounds and all other water-soluble contaminants.
The maintenance staff of Velyka Lepetykha School Number 2 will install the system in the cafeteria at no charge.
Project funding includes the cost of the first replacement filter cartridge, which must be installed in 10 months. Following the first replacement, the school will pay for the filter cartridge replacements through donations from parents and the community.
Project Impact
350 students and 60 faculty and staff will benefit from the project,
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Shannon Wentworth and Megan Trout
Comments
The school identified the need for this project and found the best solution to purify the water that is consumed by students and staff during two meals each day. The continued support of the community will ensure the sustainability of the project.
Dollar Amount of Project
$420.00
Donations Collected to Date
$420.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteers Shannon Wentworth and Megan Trout of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next projects by them and/or those other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.