Location
Wuro-Yobi, Mayo-Darle District, Adamaoua Region, Cameroon
Community Description
Wuro Yobi is a very rural community in the bush with a population of about 300. There is no electricity or running water. The community members are mainly cow herders and are very poor. A primary school was recently donated and built by UNICEF in 2008.
Problem Addressed
There is no source of clean water for the people of Wuro Yobi. There are a river 200 meters behind the school that is currently being used as the primary source of drinking water for the population. It is used for washing clothes and dishes, and the water is contaminated.
Project Description
This project is to build a well in Wuro-Yobi.
The well will be located at the primary school, a central location for access by the children and the members of the community.
The construction of the well is a part of a project being funded by the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), which includes Water and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities with the children at the school in order to improve sanitation and hygiene.
The overall PCPP program will also include a garden and nutrition project. Beds will be placed near the well and runoff will be directed toward the garden.
The hand-dug well will be 16 meters deep, which will provide an adequate water supply, even during the dry season. The digging has already been started with community contributions.
The well will be lined with 20 concrete rings, which will be fabricated on-site. The engineer will first make two molds to begin fabricating the rings using cement, iron wiring and flexible boards.
Each ring will be lowered into the well by rope and straightened and aligned. The gaps will be filled with gravel and cement, making the well watertight.
A concrete top will be fabricated, and a hand pump and piping attached.
A cement wall will be built at the top to keep contaminants from entering the well. A concrete pad will provide a secure and clean place for people to stand as they fill their buckets.
A drainage system will be built under the spout to reduce standing water by collecting and directing it to the garden.
The hand pump will be of the type generally used in the area and available locally. It will have a long handle and will be easy to operate by adults and children. It will be secured and monitored and opened during certain hours.
Members of the water committee will be trained on pump maintenance and repair.
Project Impact
824 people will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Sarah Seng
Comments
The well will help change the lives of many by reducing the burden of obtaining safe water each day. The reduction in the use of contaminated water, along with the prevention of standing water, will reduce the incidence of typhoid and diarrheal diseases.
This project has been concluded.
Please donate to this project using the Donate button below.
Any contributions in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in Cameroon.
