Kante Water Project – Togo

Water For Everyone, Water For Everyone - Togo

Kante Water Project – Togo

This project is made possible through the partnership of Water Charity and the National Peace Corps Association.
This is a project under the LET GIRLS LEARN Program, a collaboration of First Lady Michelle Obama and the Peace Corps to expand access to education for girls around the world!

Location
Kante, Keran Prefecture, Kara Region, Togo

Community Description
Kante is a town located in the Kara region of Togo. It is the administrative capital of the Keran Prefecture. Though the official language of Togo is French, the dominant language spoken among the local inhabitants is Lama. Kante has a large population size of about 20,000, sparsely spread among its several neighborhoods, which can be considered independent villages. However, more than 85% of these inhabitants live in poverty or extreme poverty. A significant number of families live in small huts made entirely of mud, known as thatch roof houses, with an average of about 2-3 people per room, while the vast majority of people live in one, sometimes two-bedroom houses made of mud, coated with sand and cement.

The dominant activity in Kante is subsistence farming. The main crops include, but are not limited to corn, millet, yam, okra, and peppers. However, there is also livestock rearing, which includes cows, goats, sheep, guinea fowls, and pigs that are raised to generate income.

Problem Addressed
Life depends on water. A relatively healthy and prosperous life depends on a safe, portable, reliable and accessible water source. However, in Kante and surrounding villages, access to such a water source is extremely difficult during the rainy season, let alone the dry season.

During the rainy season, most households get their drinking water from shallow potholes that are filled with run-off. This run-off is usually yellowish in color and filled with particulate matters. Oftentimes, these water sources are shared with animals. Drinking from this water source often leads to illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery, and in some cases death particularly among children less than 7 years old.

During the dry season, these shallow potholes dry out, leaving residents with the difficult task of traveling long distances to either buy water, or fetch it from a distant well. This is particularly daunting for young women and boys during the school year. This is because they not only have to get up early in the morning, sometimes at 3 AM, or late at night, to fetch water. Then they also have to come back, do house chores, and make breakfast or dinner before doing their homework or going to school. This provides a reasonable explanation of why most young women are more likely to fall behind in school or drop out compared to their male counterparts because of inadequate time to do school work. Even if they may have time to do school work, they may be too tired to concentrate. Also, lack of access to potable water nearby leaves young women vulnerable to attacks such as domestic violence at home due to husbands being suspicious of the amount of time taken to fetch water, and rape from outside while fetching water early in the morning or late at night.

Project Description
This project involves digging 8 public wells, installing 2 handwashing stations in two public schools, and repairing/rehabilitating of 3 community water pumps.

The site of each well was chosen by the various neighborhood/Village Development Committees with the help of a local hydraulic technician. Community members in these neighborhoods will help with the construction of these wells, and with the supervision of a local drilling technician. All eight wells will be similar in nature, including the depth of the water table.

Before calculating the cost of repairing and rehabilitating the pumps, a technician went and diagnosed all three pumps to find out what parts were needed to repair the pumps, and also the cost of each part. All three communities agreed to proportionally share the cost of repair, with each community agreeing to contribute at least 25% of the total cost.

The decision of the schools at which to install the handwashing stations was based on three main criteria: access to water to fill the water tanks, number of pupils in schools, and the percentage of students who stay in school during long breaks.

WELLS Seven of these public wells will be built in the same town, Kante, but in different neighborhoods: Yoote Wooro, Ate-Kante, Kpantchoute, Hourta, Worongo, Kouwir, and Ninta-Ninta. A local digging expert, with the help of local community members, will supervise the digging. This local expert has a wealth of experience digging holes in this region.

Before the digging process begins, a hydrogeological assessment will be conducted using hydraulic electrical measurement to determine the precise depth of the underlying aquifer. It is generally expected that water will be reached at a depth of 16 meters. However, the wells will be dug to a depth of about 21 meters to ensure a reliable source of water throughout the year. After the holes have been dug, the inner walls of the wells will be lined with concrete tubes, measuring about 1 meter in diameter. Above ground, the wells will be covered with a semi-concrete slab, a metal sheet, and enclosed with a brick fence measuring about three feet tall. The wells will all have covers to prevent dirt from entering.

Also, a cement drainage system will be constructed to direct water into a nearby vegetable garden or a hole. A bucket and a rope will be used to pull water out of the well. Water Charity funds will be used to pay for skilled labor, to purchase of cement, and to transport materials.

The various communities will provide volunteer labor during digging and construction, gravel, sand, food for workers, and storage of materials. The remaining well will be built in a village called Kpesside, near the only clinic in the area. The reason for this location is to help patients with their hygiene and sanitation needs, especially pregnant women before, during, and after delivery.

PUMPS Three hand pumps will be rehabilitated in three villages (Houlure, Anatowa, and Nambou). A local technician has already estimated the costs of rehabilitating/repairing these pumps. The costs were determined by diagnosing each pump, and deciding what parts should be replaced or renovated. A couple of these hand pumps have been out of service for more than three years as a result of a lack of finance by the communities. As a result of this, community members have to walk for many kilometers to fetch water. Parts will be bought immediately for the repair work to begin. For the past six months, every household in the various villages has contributed some amount of money to meet the community contribution of 25% of the total repair cost. The various village development committees have been in charge of collecting the community contribution.

HAND WASHING STATIONS Two hand-wash stations will be built in schools in two villages called Houlio and Adeote. These hand wash stations will help students with their hygiene and sanitation needs. Students will use these stations to wash their hands before and after certain activities such as after using the toilet, and before and after eating.

Project Impact
This project will impact 5,348 people.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Mokube Ewane

Monitoring and Maintenance
Monitoring and maintenance of the wells and hand pumps will be done by each community’s Village Development Committee, or their Water Committees. The various Water/Village Development Committees have been trained on how to sustain their hand pumps and wells. For example, committee members and villagers have been educated on the importance of yearly monetary contributions for future repairs. The various schools’ Sanitary Committees, headed by the school principal, will maintain the handwashing stations.

Comments
The community organization involved in this project is Association Espoir Pour Demain (AED). They will be mobilizing the community.

Let Girls Learn

This project will significantly help girls stay in school, by reducing the time and distance they spend fetching water before and after school. For example, instead of walking for three kilometers to fetch water, most girls in the various communities that will benefit from this project will cut their travel distance to fetch water by more than 50-90%, hence giving them more time to study, and stay in school.

This is part of our ongoing Western Africa Water & Sanitation Program.

Dollar Amount of Project
$8,100

Donations Collected to Date
$0

Dollar Amount Needed
$8,100

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT
Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will allow you a posted dedication, if that is something you would like.

This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.

Boiram Borehole and Water System Project – The Gambia

Water For Everyone, Water For Everyone - The Gambia

Boiram Borehole and Water System Project – The Gambia

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
Boiram, The Gambia

Community Description
The country of The Gambia, which surrounds The River Gambia, has a population of 1,882,450 people. Of the five regions, the Janjangbureg region in Central River Region and the Basse Local Government Area in the Upper River Region, have the poorest rating on social indicators in comparison to the other regions. Much of UNICEF’s area-based interventions are focused in these two regions, with a view to closing the equity gap between the more privileged and most vulnerable.

Boiram, which is 20 km from the city of Janjangbureh, is a 4,000-5,000-person village located in the CRR region of The Gambia. It is an agricultural-based community whose primary source of income includes farming (rice, coos, peanut, and corn) and the peanut trade industry. It is involved in many outreaching programs including VDC (village development Committee), VSG (village support group), PTA (Parent-Teacher Association), NANA (National Nutrition Agency) applicant and many more agricultural-based committees.

The school located within the village is a basic cycle school (up to grade nine) and serves the neighboring 5 villages. Currently, there is a CHN (community health nurse) who lives in Boiram and serves the neighboring villages (up to 10 km).

The village consists of 160 compounds. There has been a 68.8 % increase in population in the last year and a half, which has limited the water supply tremendously. This has caused countless village conflicts regarding water usage, school absences, and increased parasitical disease rates resulting from the intake of open well water.

Problem Addressed
There is a high mortality rate for children under five, and only 32% of households have an improved drinking water source on their premises.

The use of unprotected wells for drinking water is common in the predominantly rural areas, at 21.8% and is highest in the Janjanbureh Local Government Area (LGA), situated in the Central River Region, with about 30%. In terms of sanitation, 40% do not have access to sanitation.

Boiram is located in the Central River Region and is facing continuous village expansion. In addition to high child diarrhea rates, women bear the burden of the shortage of water. From 2-5 in the afternoon, 80% of the taps open.

Each woman is allotted two 20-liter water units and spends every minute at the tap so as not to miss her turn and lose her opportunity at a day’s clean water supply. This impairs school attendance for young girls who must help carry water, interpersonal relationships, and prospects for financial stability.

Project Description
This project is to build a borehole and install a piping system for Boiram village.

Modern borehole drilling technology and equipment will be used to drill the borehole, and solar power will serve as the main source of energy to pump water.

With the support of the PCV the community will hire a competent and qualified water engineering company to deliver the project. Upon signing the contract, the contractor will start drilling the borehole, to a depth of about 50 meters, within 7 days, supply the solar panels and connect the borehole to the existing 100,000-liter tank, as well as extend the pipe network to provide an additional 6 taps.

The PCV, counterparts, and staff from the Department of Water Resources in CRR will train 10 water committee members on water hygiene, sanitation, basic water system maintenance and management of the solar panels.

Through the support of the PCV and counterpart, the committee members will turn in train 36 community cluster representatives.

Water Charity funds will be used to pay for the mobilization cost of the machinery to drill the borehole, provide antisol, casing, and screen for the borehole, as well as pay for the digging of a trench for borehole housing, installation of a new submersible pump: (Grundfos Pump SQ flex DC/AC Pump), construction of the solar support structure, and installation of 8 solar panels with all necessary cables and connections.

Currently, 23 stand taps are in the community and this will be increased to 29 through this project.

Project Impact
5,000 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Cameron Hatlevig

Monitoring and Maintenance
A two-day intensive water system management and facility maintenance training to strengthen the local community members’ capacities in order to ensure the sustainability of the project.

After construction is completed, a 1-dalasi monthly payment will be collected from each user by the water committee. Under the responsibility of the village secretary, funds will be deposited into a bank account, so that there will be funds available when needed for maintenance, repairs, and expansion.

Let Girls Learn
This project is a Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Project.

Countless young women wait hours for their chance to draw water. Since women predominately secure drinking water and bathing water, they are the ones who are being forced to sacrifice their time and energy. This project, to make water readily available, increases their ability to go to and remain in school.

Comments
This project will provide for an increased water capacity for the entire village, doubling the water supply, and allowing women to fetch water twice a day and for longer periods of time.

The project will improve the overall health of the village and will serve to empower women. Fiscal responsibility, fundraising, budgeting, community-based project management, proper handling and treatment of water, as well as management of a solar water facility will also be improved.

Fundraising Target
$5,000

Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects in the country.

Donations Collected to Date
$0

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you “naming rights”, if that is something you would like.

Dollar Amount Needed
$5,000

Tarazh Elementary School Water and Bathroom Project – Albania

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Tarazh Elementary School Water and Bathroom Project – Albania

This project is made possible through the partnership of Water Charity and the National Peace Corps Association.

Location
Tarazh, Mirdite Region, Lezhe District, Albania

Community Description
Tarazh, Albania is a small farming community, located 5 km outside of Rreshen, Albania. Tarazh contains one elementary school that holds approximately 75 students while employing 10 teachers.

Problem Addressed
The bathroom facility lacks clean, constantly running water for students and teachers to flush the toilets and wash their hands. Currently, the bathroom facility is a small, concrete outhouse with two rooms separating males and females. The bathroom is in poor condition, with the toilets, walls, and roofing needing serious renovations. Seeing as there are no sinks with soap and water available to wash their hands, this has become a public health concern.

Project Description
This project is designed to renovate the existing walls/roof, install new flooring tiles and doors, and replace 4 Turkish-style toilets. Additionally, two sinks with running water will be built. The community’s contribution will be over $700 worth of labor, assigned from Rreshen’s municipality.

Project Impact

85 students and teachers will benefit. Over time this number will increase.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jonathan Ayres

Monitoring and Maintenance
The municipality will be responsible for the inspections and maintenance of the facilities.

Comments
The potential impact of this project aims to create a healthy learning environment for students of Tarazh, particularly females, providing a safe and healthy environment for their bathroom facilities. Providing running water with soap enables the children to practice proper hygiene habits after using the restroom while installing secure doors helps promote a learning environment where girls feel safe to use the outdoor facilities. Girls and boys alike will be able to feel safe and comfortable using the washroom, creating a stronger educational environment in the Middle region.

While this is not an official Let Girls Learn project under PCPP, it does fall into Water Charity’s LGL+ grouping of projects that have a pronounced element involving helping girls go to, and stay in, school, and falls under our 100 Water Projects Program – Albania as well as our larger Let Girls Learn Initiative – Worldwide.

Dollar Amount of Project
$2,050

Donations Collected to Date
$0

Dollar Amount Needed
$2,050

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT.
Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will allow you a posted dedication if that is something you would like.

This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.

Dankpen Well Rehab Project – Togo

Water For Everyone, Water For Everyone - Togo

Dankpen Well Rehab Project – Togo

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
Bikpandji, Tchangblib, Koutiere, Bapure, and Nakpagnodo in the Dankpen Prefecture, West Kara, Togo

Community Description
The five communities (Bikpandji, Koutiere, Tchangblib, Hakpagnodo, and Bapure) this project will work with are all located in the Dankpen prefecture in the Kara region of Togo. The communities are extremely remote and are often only accessible by motorcycle or bike. The populations of these communities range from just over 500 inhabitants to around 1,500, with agriculture as their primary source of income.

Living with broken pumps for years, communities find themselves in difficult situations with their next nearest water source over 20 km away. Due to strict gender roles in Togo, the task of collecting water falls to women and girls who must walk these distances to fetch water for their families leaving them little time to attend school.

Many communities are forced to drink water from rivers, springs, and, during the hot season when the river and springs go dry, water that has collected on the road. Because the communities are so remote and road conditions so poor, it is difficult for people to reach a clinic or hospital if they become sick.

Problem Addressed
The five pumps to be repaired are either non-working or work poorly, primarily because their parts are over 20 years old. While the communities have tried to make small repairs throughout the years they do not have the funds to make all repairs necessary.

Additionally, many communities find the pumps dry up in the dry season because the water level has fallen throughout the years.

Project Description
This project is to rehabilitate 5 wells in the prefecture.

The depth of the water table ranges from 70 to 120 meters. The work will be done by an experienced team of Togolese mechanics. The repairs involve taking the pump apart, removing the old pieces such as pipes and the head of the pump, and replacing them with new ones. Work will begin in January 2017.

Water Charity funds will be used for parts and materials, the salaries of the mechanics, and the cost of transport to the villages.

Seminars will be conducted on the proper use and maintenance of the pumps, as well as gender equality, food security, and sanitation practices within the community.

Project Impact
5,432 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Paige McKinsey

Monitoring and Maintenance
In order to properly monitor and evaluate the impact of the project, site visits will be made to the villages in March 2017. These will determine how the pumps are being used, how water is stored, and if the water committee is still performing its duties.

This project is sustainable due to the emphasis it places on capacity building and community involvement. Not only will communities receive new pumps, but they will receive the knowledge on how to properly manage and take care of their pump to ensure it’s durability.

Through the efforts taken to raise a 25% community contribution, these communities learn the importance of a village working together for their collective benefit.

Additionally, on the day of installation, the water committee will receive two wrenches for pump maintenance. This project gives communities both the resources and knowledge necessary to ensure sustainability.

Let Girls Learn
Girls in the village have to walk long distances to fetch water, and they did not have time to attend school or struggled to stay in school. While this project is not designated as an official Let Girls Learn project, it works to achieve the same ends. It will help girls in these communities stay in school by saving them hours of time a day they currently spend walking to get water, and thus comes under our LGL+ designation.

Fundraising Target
$6,000

Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects in the country.

Donations Collected to Date
$0

Dollar Amount Needed
$0 – This project has been funded through the generosity of David Ashby, of Yuba City, CA, U.S.A.

Additional donations will be allocated to other projects in Togo.

Salima District Water Project – Malawi

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Salima District Water Project – Malawi

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
Salima District, Malawi

Community Description
Thirteen border communities around Kuti Wildlife Reserve look to the organization for assistance on issues of environmental awareness and wildlife conservation. Many of the communities have significant water needs that leave thousands without access to clean water.

Hundreds of local people are currently using Kuti’s wetland as their primary water source and are thereby exposing themselves to harmful water and risking the safety of the wildlife within the park.

The border communities are actively engaged in community development projects that diminish people’s reliance on park resources and put the power into the people’s own hands. There is a thriving Village Natural Resource Management Committees in each of the communities and all are eager to take on new projects that promote the safety and development of their people.

Problem Addressed
Yonamu Community: There is a borehole in a remote village under the Yonamu community that has had parts stolen, rendering it useless. Because of its location, the only other water access comes from Kuti’s wetland. This water is very unclean and there is a very high concentration of malaria. People are using the same water that animals use to drink and defecate in.

The next closest water source is a borehole at a primary school over 2 km away. Because hundreds of learners are using the borehole on a daily basis, the area around the borehole can become very congested and cause wait times of over an hour.

Kachenembwe Community: Six villages within Kachenembwe do not have boreholes and rely on the nearest primary school, walking distances over 2 km to access clean water. The school has expressed concern over how many people are using the school’s water source and families often have to take many trips with small buckets to fulfill their water needs.

Mkhukhi Community: Over 1,000 people within Mkhukhi rely on water from a 2 km distance. The only other water access is from wells where people frequently find dead animals and trash within.

Danken Community: Of the five villages within Danken, there is only one borehole. 2,000 people are walking up to 4 km in order to access clean water. With such a distance, people can only manage to carry small buckets and therefore have to vastly limit their water intake or make multiple trips.

The only other water access comes from wells that offer very unsafe water. With the impending risk of cholera in the area, access to safe drinking water is imperative.

Chatayika Community: Four villages in Chatayika don’t have clean water and are sharing the two boreholes that exist within the six-village community.

The only other water source is Kuti’s wetland where the water is not safe to consume. The nearest borehole is 2 km away, and people sometimes wait over an hour in order to get water.

Project Description
This project is to build 5 boreholes, one in each of 5 communities.

The boreholes will be built using the standard technology used in the area. They will each have an Afridev pump, and will be surrounded by a concrete slab, with a runoff channel, and soak pit.

Each committee will implement a Village Savings and Loan program to offset maintenance costs for the boreholes. One community has already started theirs and it has met with success.

The boreholes will provide water for Perma gardens in the communities where it is appropriate. For example, in Mkhukhi, the borehole will be placed next to a daycare orphanage. By planting a self-sustaining Perma garden, the children can gain access to nutritious foods as well as safe drinking water, all year round.

The project will be implemented by the Kuti Wildlife Reserve, working with the PCV. The project will be managed and completed 100% by local workers and Kuti’s Community Outreach Officer, and Kuti will help with any extra costs by allocating funds from gate fees (30% of gate fees are put towards community outreach and development).

Project Impact
4,000 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Anya Russom

Monitoring and Maintenance
Kuti Wildlife Reserve will oversee operations and maintenance in the villages, which are all reachable by bike or car, and also attend committee meetings to make sure Village Savings and Loan programs are being properly implemented and managed. They will then begin the Perma garden programs.

Let Girls Learn
This project is a Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Project.

Countless young women wait hours for their chance to draw water. Since women predominately secure water for the household, they are the ones who are being forced to sacrifice their time and energy. This project makes water readily available, increasing the ability of young and adolescent girls to go to and remain in school.

This project became infeasible before there was an expenditure of funds. Donations that were made prior to that determination were re-allocated to other projects in Malawi.

Dahra Latrine Project – Senegal

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Dahra Latrine Project – Senegal

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
This project summary has been redacted for security reasons to omit the specific project location.

District of Dahra, Region of Louga, Senegal

Community Description
The village is approximately 30 km from the nearest town and has a population of roughly 3,000. It is made up of two ethnic groups, Wolof and Pulaar, and, dependent on the time of the year, you can find a sizable Sereer population.

The community is made up of 6 neighborhoods, and each neighborhood has at least 2 members who are volunteer community health workers. This means that they spend time extending education to the community about things such as malnutrition, malaria, exclusive breastfeeding, and vaccinations.

Problem Addressed
Currently, there is not a restroom or a water source in the middle school. As a result, many students have stopped attending school, or their attendance has dramatically decreased.

The health post serves approximately 7,000 individuals, including people from neighboring smaller communities, health post staff and their families, and even nomadic herders. It has only two fully operational restrooms.

Project Description
This project will provide seven latrines and one water access point (robinet).

The seven latrines will all be VIP latrines, consisting of cement privacy structures, roofs, and locking doors. Five of the seven latrines will have Turkish basins, and the final two will have western toilets seats.

Five of the latrines and the one robinet will be constructed at the local middle school, while the last two latrines will be added onto the health structure.

Once these structures are completed, students at the middle school will complete WASH training during class with the village’s community health workers and the volunteer. The students will also be exposed to further WASH behavior change activities through their participation in the Junior Health Committee Club.

In addition, community health workers will hold bi-monthly training on proper WASH practices at the health post to educate the citizens that will be benefitting from the new latrines at the health post.

The community will contribute in the form of cash contributions to the project.

Objectives of the project include providing students at the middle school, as well as the patients at the health post, with access to improved water and sanitation as well as providing education on the importance of good sanitation practices.

Project Impact
3,000 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Sydney Hurst

Monitoring and Maintenance
The school and health post will elect separate committees to handle the care and cleaning of the latrines, contributing to the sustainability of the project by maintaining the latrines in good working order.

Should there be a problem, the latrines and robinet are both being built by masons in the community, so they will be able to fix them in the future.

The community will sustain this project by consulting the Latrine and Robinet Addition Committee, which will see to the cleaning, maintenance, and all other tasks regarding the latrines and robinet.

The education of proper hygiene and sanitation practices will be enacted and sustained by continuing to discuss the topic and working as closely as possible with the youth. Most recently, the community has planned to begin a youth club that will focus on health issues, being a primary way to increase the sustainability of the material side of the project as well as the educational side of it.

Let Girls Learn
Five of the seven latrines that are being built will be located at the local middle school. This will provide female students with the proper environment needed to fully focus on their studies. The five latrines will be separated based on gender, two for males, two for females, and one for teachers. This separation will allow for maximum privacy and safety for the female students.

This project is part of the Let Girls Learn program started by FLOTUS Michelle Obama in partnership with the Peace Corps. The goal of this project is to keep girls attending school. It is a part of Water Charity’s Let Girls Learn Initiative – Worldwide.

Fundraising Target
$ 2,750

Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects in the country.

Donations Collected to Date
$305

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT.

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you “naming rights” if that is something you would like.

Dollar Amount Needed
$2,445

School Well Project – Senegal

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School Well Project – Senegal

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
This project summary has been redacted for security reasons to omit the specific project location.

Xxxxxxxxx, Kolda Region, Senegal

Community Description
The rural village of Xxxxxxxxx, population approximately 500, lies about 15 kilometers north of the regional capital city of Kolda. There is no electricity and no running water. The village consists mainly of farmers and their families.

The primary school serves students from 4 villages: Soussotou, Saare Samba, Saare Dombel, and Saare Banje. The school currently has 129 students enrolled, 81 males and 48 females.

The community has an organization of parents of students (The Parents d’ Eleves de Ecole Primere Xxxxxxxxx (PdE)) who upkeep and try to improve the school.

Problem Addressed
The school currently has no well, and the nearest water source is from a neighboring compound, about 600 meters away. With no close water supply, the school grounds have no trees or garden crops growing (excluding the young mangoes planted by the PCV and the head of the PDE August 2016.) The PDE and teachers of the school have long wanted the school to be thriving with trees and a student-centered garden, but have not been able to really sustain any attempts because of the distance of the water supply.

When water is needed, students are pulled out of class to fetch water – usually girls. Additionally, there is no shade on the school grounds – as trees have no reliable source of water.

Project Description
This project is to build a well on the eastern perimeter of the school.

The well will be located between the two teaching buildings. It will be 1 ½ meter in diameter, hand-dug by laborers to a depth of 20 meters. The sides will be reinforced by rebar (locally sold as Fehr #10) arranged in a grid and will be linked in with cement.

The sand and gravel for the cement will be sourced locally and brought by the community.

Upon completion of the well, an above-ground structure will be made. It will be approximately 1 meter tall and surround the well in a circle. On top of the structure will be a suspended metal pole (held up by two other pieces) to which a pulley and rope will be attached.

The project includes the purchase of buckets and watering cans.

Immediately upon completion of the well, a tree nursery will be set up with the students and teachers. Additionally, the well will be used to water 9 mango trees that were planted during the rainy season of 2016.

Long-term, the well will be used to continually sustain trees planted in the school. As the school nursery trees mature, they will be planted in the schoolyard and watered with water from the well. Moringa, pigeon pea, mango, and ornamental china pride trees are among the species that will be planted.

Additionally, when school resumes in the Fall of 2017, the well will be used to support garden beds created and seeded by teachers and students. The students will grow bissap, okra, onions, and other assorted vegetables common to the village.

Another intended use of the school space is as a seed and grafted scion source for the community. The well will support grafted mango trees, as well as moringa and pigeon peas. Community members will be able to harvest seeds to plant in their own households as well as use the mangoes as sources for scions. The school can then also be a location for grafting training, moringa nutrition, and transformation training.

Project Impact
200 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Holly Henriksen will manage the project. She previously implemented the Kolda Master Farm Water and Sanitation Project – Senegal.

Monitoring and Maintenance
This project will be monitored by the serving PCV, and volunteers who follow in the village. The Peace Corps indicators that will be measured are tree nursery creation, tree planting, tree survival, and gardens created. Additionally, any pieces of training associated with trees planted at the school (mango grafting, moringa transformation, and nutrition, etc.) will be recorded – the number of participants and other relevant information.

Maintenance of the actual structure of the well should be unnecessary in the coming years as it will be built to a high standard. The external structures (pulley, metal overhanging bar, buckets, and watering cans) can be maintained with funds from the school and PDE.

Maintenance and care of the trees and garden beds will be sustained by the students and overseen by the teachers, headed by the principal.

Let Girls Learn
This project supports Let Girls Learn. Currently, the school needs water to wash chalkboards, water the 9 mango trees planted, and wash hands. The water is retrieved exclusively by female students, who are pulled out of class to fetch water. Often, they are pulled out of class while class is in session. The addition of a well to the school will save the time that these female students are out of class getting water and increase their amount of time spent in the classroom learning.

Fundraising Target
$1,500

Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects in the country.

Donations Collected to Date
$0

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you “naming rights” if that is something you would like.

Dollar Amount Needed
$1,500

Kol Toma School Water Project – Albania

Uncategorized

Kol Toma School Water Project – Albania

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
Vele Village, Mirdita, Albania

Community Description
The village of Vele is part of Mirdita District and the Prefecture of Lezhe, in Northwest Albania. It has a total population of approximately 720 inhabitants, most of whom are farmers who depend on their own agriculture and livestock.

Vele, located 7 km from the town of Rubik, is a mountainous village that sadly lacks road infrastructure, businesses, and public buses, which makes it very difficult for residents to move outside the area. There are only two main institutions in Vele, the School Kol Toma and a health center.

The people of Vele are very humble, friendly and kind. They are proud of their heritage and Vele’s history. According to recent research by historians, Franciscan priests opened the first Albanian school in the village of Vele in 1832.

Since 1946, after the liberation of Albania, Kol Toma has provided the kindergarten, elementary, and middle school programs to promote literacy.

Problem Addressed
The structure where Kol Toma School operates was renovated in 2005. The bathrooms, part of this renovation, only functioned for a year. This was the result of inadequate strategic planning and failure to follow regulations.

Pjeter Heci, the Municipality’s plumber, stated that the installations of the water and sewer pipes have not been placed correctly according to the hydraulic laws of Albania. The location where the school was built is on an uphill area and the soil is very dry. This prevents and blocks the sewer water from flowing to the septic tank.

This forces the girls to go to their homes to use the bathroom. Particularly, when the girls are going through their menstrual period, many of them prefer to use the bathrooms at their home for hygiene. While some will return to school, others will stay at home.

Boys and teachers are also obliged to go to their home to use the bathroom, or if they find themselves in a “rush situation” they opt to go outside in the forest surrounding the school facility. This creates a dirty and contaminated environment around the school, promoting disease.

Project Description
This project is to build 2 bathrooms and provide the necessary water supply and sewage systems.

The school has two available rooms in a favorable location to be converted for use as bathrooms. The rooms are located on the downhill area side, one-meter from the sewer line that is connected to the septic tank.

Each bathroom will have 1 sink and 2 toilets (2 western toilets for girls/2 Turkish toilets for boys). The four existing flusher cisterns will be transferred to the new location.

The project will take about two weeks. In addition to the fixtures and piping, doors will be renovated (handles, locks, and metal pieces to all doors and door stalls).

The Mayor of Rreshen Ndrec Dedaj will support the project by covering the labor on the municipality’s payroll. The plumber and the engineer from the Municipality of Miredita assisted the Peace Corps volunteer to assess the current need at Kol Toma School and prepare the budget for the materials needed to relocate the bathrooms.

The engineer prepared a site plan for a better understanding of the project relocation. Mr. Pashk Ndoja, a private carpenter who is a well-known individual within the community, evaluated the conditions of the doors and determined which should be repaired and which needed replacement.

The Director of Kol Toma School, Gjin Bunaj, the teachers and the parents will donate a total of 15.900 Leke. This money will be used to buy toiletry supplies such as soap, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies.

Project Impact
This project will benefit 72 students, 9 teachers and parents/visitors

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Pier Vernaza. Pier previously completed the Mother Teresa School Bathroom Project – Albania.

Monitoring and Maintenance
The supplies and maintenance of the renovated bathrooms will be the responsibility of the Municipality of Miredita and Kol Toma School. Teachers and the Director of the school will jointly collaborate in this effort to inspect and keep up the maintenance of the bathroom facilities.

A week, after completion of the bathroom project, a health nurse and the Peace Corps Volunteer will organize and provide two classes about healthy practices and civic responsibilities through the “Ore Educative” program. A health nurse will teach the “Glittery Germs” lesson to the 1st and 2nd-grade students so they can start developing healthy practices from a young age. The students will visit the bathrooms during the class and will be instructed to throw the toilet paper in the trash, wash their hands after using the toilets and how to use the toilets in a careful manner.

Let Girls Learn
This project is part of the Let Girls Learn program started by FLOTUS Michelle Obama in partnership with the Peace Corps. The goal of this project is to keep girls attending school. It is a part of Water Charity’s Let Girls Learn Initiative – Worldwide.

Fundraising Target
$1,400

Donations Collected to Date
$1,400

Dollar Amount Needed

$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of Wilco Krul, of Einhoven, Netherlands.

This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.

Sandu District Water Project – The Gambia

Water For Everyone, Water For Everyone - The Gambia

Sandu District Water Project – The Gambia

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
This project summary has been redacted for security reasons to omit the specific project location.

Xxxxxx Kunda, Sandu District, Upper River Region, The Gambia

Community Description
Xxxxxx is an ethnically Mandinka village with a population of approximately 900, located within the Sandu District of the Upper River Region in The Gambia, West Africa. There is a Lower Basic Cycle (up to grade 6) school located less than 2 km from the village where the majority of children attend school.

The village contains 30 compounds, and two hand pump wells used for domestic water supply. The economy of the area relies heavily on the farming of peanuts with additional income generated from the selling of garden produce. The community generally farms for subsistence and includes crops such as peanut, maize, millet, beans, rice and other local vegetables.

Problem Addressed
The two hand pump wells in the village are used all hours of the day in order to provide the daily water requirements of each compound. Due to the overuse of the wells, at least one well becomes damaged once per month, requiring costly maintenance and forcing villagers to look elsewhere for sources of water (including the nearby river). Using water for drinking from unsafe sources, such as the nearby river, has led to higher rates of waterborne illness and diarrhea.

Project Description
This domestic water supply project will upgrade an existing hand pump well, add a storage tank, and build a water distribution system in the village.

In addition to deepening the well as necessary, the upgrade will include a 4,000 L water tank, a pump with four solar panels, seven taps distributed at major junctions and 462 meters of the pipeline. This project will ease the burden of fetching water and provide safe and clean drinking water.

The PCV and counterpart activities include assisting the contractor (Water Point) in purchasing and construction of:

(1) one 4,000 L water tank with tank stand,
(2) 45 meters of well to water tank pipe and 462 meters of land pipe network with seven tap stands,
(3) four solar panels and solar support structure, and
(4) water pump

Other activities include training on proper maintenance and use of the water system, health talks with villagers on waterborne illness and water sources, and talks on time management to assist in girls’ education on study time versus water fetching.

The community has raised 26% of the cost to pay for the project and will contribute labor in excavation to lay the pipe down.

Project Impact
900 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
S. Maccabe

Monitoring and Maintenance
The PCV and counterpart have set up and will work with a water committee in the community to help lead training and to monitor the outcomes of the project. Training to be conducted will include health talks on water sources and waterborne illness, time management for school children, and maintenance and proper use of the new water system.

Monitoring the outcomes of the project will include observing the percent of people utilizing the new water system’s taps, checking the difference in school attendance before and after the project completion, recording the average study time of children before and after the project completion, and observing the number of meetings held by the water committee.

A group bank account was established to deposit maintenance funds received from the users of the taps. Each compound will require that the women who utilize the taps to pay 10 dalasis (local currency) each per month to help in maintaining the system.

Security against breakage and theft will be ensured with a chain-link fence with wire and locks surrounding the solar panels and pumping system. Some of the maintenance fees raised by the community will also be used to maintain the solar structure as well as all parts of the water system.

Let Girls Learn
After many girls complete grade six, they often quit school to help with chores in the family compound. Women also spend a great amount of time fetching water that in turn reduces the time spent in gardens and time that can be used to pursue other interests in the business.

This project has a particular benefit in allowing girls to remain in school by reducing the time needed to fetch water for daily use. When this project is completed, the burden of fetching water from only two sources will be reduced through the addition of seven additional sources, freeing up the girls to pursue their schoolwork.

This project has been funded by an anonymous donor.

Shkolla 9-vjeçare Rubik Bathroom Project – Albania

Uncategorized

Shkolla 9-vjeçare Rubik Bathroom Project – Albania

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
Rubik, Mirditë District, Lezhë County, Albania

Community Description
Rubik is a municipality located in the mountainous Mireditë District, in the central-north of Albania, along a national roadway that links Tirana/Lezhë County with Rrëshen/Kukes County and the new Albanian-Kosovo Highway. Surrounding Rubik are eleven villages: Fang, Katund I Vjeter, Bulshizë, Rasfik, Fierzë, Munaz, Rreja e Velës, Livadhëza, Vau Shkjezë, Rrethi I Eperm, Bulgër, and Rreja e Zezë. Roughly 3,500 people reside in Rubik, most of whom work as teachers, own small family businesses, farm, or travel to a nearby town to work as local government officials.

Only one road, about two kilometers long, runs through this small town. Both sides of the road are lined with cafés, small businesses, apartment buildings, and fruit/vegetable stands. At the south end of the road is Kishё e Shelbuemit (the Church of the Ascension, in English). Rubik is also made up of one health center, one soccer field, countless gardens, one high school, one kindergarten, and one 9-year school.

The 9-year school is where the project will take place. Without fail, visitors from other towns comment on the cleanliness and beauty of the building. Approximately 280 students attend school, one-third of which are from the neighboring villages, with a staff of about 20. Students and staff members, like the rest of the community, are closely integrated and bound in love or friendship. Proud locals boast about the town’s camaraderie, with good reason.

The students experience a positive, open learning environment; however, this project will address the issues associated with safety and health. Although the 9-year school is clean and presentable, it houses a deplorable bathroom due to lack of funding. Students, especially adolescent female students, are deterred from using the bathroom facilities and as a result, feel unsafe, feel embarrassed, and are more likely to skip school or become less hygienic.

Problem Addressed
Shkolla 9-vjeçare Rubik is the only 9-year school in Rubik. The building is also required to be open after school hours, during the weekend, and during winter/spring/summer break to be used as Rubik’s community center. Shkolla 9-vjeçare Rubik is a two-floor building with one bathroom located in the south wing of each floor (2 bathrooms total).

The condition of the 2nd-floor bathroom is acceptable; however, the condition of the first-floor bathroom is deplorable. The first-floor bathroom includes two small rooms, for students, with four toilet stalls in each room and one small private room, for teachers, with one toilet. The issues associated with the bathroom are as follows.

– Safety and Privacy: None of the stalls have doors or curtains and neither of the student bathrooms has a sign to designate which stalls are to be used by boys and which stalls are to be used by girls. Female students usually do not use this bathroom for fear of a male student or teacher entering the room. Because of this, students and teachers are forced to use the bathrooms in pairs – one person uses the bathroom, while the other person stands as a “lookout” to ensure no one enters the stall being used.

– Hygiene: After using the toilet, none of the students or teachers are able to wash their hands. Of the five total sinks, only one is able to provide water. The one working sink leaks large amounts of water onto the tile floor and creates a slipping hazard for all who enter the room. The bathrooms are also missing soap dispensers, towels, and trash cans.

– Sanitation: Two of the nine toilets have a functional flusher cistern. The other toilets are used and sometimes flooded with urine or feces. Not only does this situation create an unpleasant smell throughout the south wing, anyone who uses the bathroom is at risk of becoming ill.

Other Safety Concerns: The glass windows of all three rooms are broken, none of the ceiling lights work in any of the three rooms, and exposed electrical wires hang at the entrance of the teacher’s bathroom.

– School Attendance: Because students, specifically girls entering the age of puberty, do not feel comfortable with using the bathrooms at school, these students often go home to use the bathroom. Although some students do return to school, far too many stay home. Consequently, students miss an average of about eight classes per week. By addressing these issues, we will create a clean and safe environment that the community of Rubik will be proud of.

Project Description
The goal of this project is to restore the main bathroom of Rubik’s 9-year school, promote healthy living, and join the Let Girls Learn mission.

The project will be completed with the help of the local government hall, students, parents, school staff members, and community members. Rubik is currently governed under the Rreshen Bashkia, who has agreed to supply the work labor needed for this project. The necessary materials will be acquired with the help of Water Charity. Together, we will accomplish the following objectives:

– Bathroom Renovation: Local professionals will repair five sinks, replace the light fixtures, restore the broken glass windows, remodel the toilet stalls’ concrete entrances, install doors for all eight toilet stalls, add toilet paper holders to each stall, replace two Turkish toilets, and repair seven flusher cisterns.

– Let Girls Learn/Health Education: Each class of students will participate in interactive health lessons lead by local health professionals and Peace Corps Volunteers. The lessons will initiate discussions about proper handwashing techniques, anti-flu practices, the importance of privacy, respect for public property, and respect for peers. Extra classes will be provided for girls who want to learn about menstruation.

– Community Development: Students will create posters with positive health messages for the community. Parents will help paint and clean whatever is necessary for the renovation.

Community members offered to donate hand-washing supplies. School staff will help deliver health lessons throughout the year to remind students about the importance of hygiene and respect. Involving the community in this project will build local trust and pride.

Project Impact
281 students and 20 school staff members will directly benefit from the project. Others in the community will benefit during the time the school is used as a community center.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jordan Arvayo

Monitoring and Maintenance
To ensure the sustainability of the project components, a continuous education lesson plan is incorporated. After the renovation, before being able to use the facilities, students and school staff will participate in a mandatory education session as described above. For those who are not able to attend the sessions, students will create summary posters to display around several areas in the community.

The school staff will collaborate and be responsible for the upkeep of the bathroom area. On school days, cleaning staff will empty the trash cans in the morning and mop the floors at the end of the school day. Teachers ad Teacher Aides will monitor the bathroom during the breaks, between classes. After school hours, on the weekends, and during holiday breaks, when the building is being used as a community center, the Community Center Administrator will inherit responsibility for the maintenance of the bathroom.

Let Girls Learn
Girls are reluctant to continue their schooling when toilets and washing facilities are not safe, not private, or not clean. Usually, uneducated girls fall into a cycle of poverty and inequality. By providing better sanitation services in school, we protect every girl’s right to receive an education and build a bright future for themselves.

The renovation of the bathroom, paired with the education component, will provide a multitude of benefits for the female students of Shkolla 9-vjeçare Rubik.

Girls will obtain a safer, more private, clean facility. The running water, trash cans, toilet paper holders, toilets, and sinks will allow every girl to practice good hygiene before, during, and after menstruation.

In addition to the lessons about hygiene and respect, an opportunity will be given to all female students to participate in discussions about the menstrual cycle. These discussions will describe why menstruation happens, how to maintain good hygiene, what to do if menstruation begins during a school day, fears about menstruation, and why it is important to attend school.

This Let Girls Learn project is inspired by Water Charity’s Let Girls Learn Initiative – Worldwide, which encourages girls to remain in school. This project is also part of the 100 Water Projects Program – Albania.

Fundraising Target
$2,000

Donations Collected to Date
$2,000

Dollar Amount Needed

$0 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of the Robert Victor Sager and Beatrice Mintz Sager Foundation.

Additional donations will be used for other projects in Albania.

This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.

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