Swaziland

Ndvwabangeni is, by Swazi standards, a very large community located in the northern Hhohho region of Swaziland. It is situated in an area between the Matsamo border post and a small town called Buhleni.

This project is to construct a scoop dam as a means to alleviate the water shortage. The dam will be located in a central area in the community where it is possible for families to start their own gardens next to the dam. The project is being carried out under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Melissa Lin.

At present, during the dry season, local water sources are not sufficient to support the community. The stream that will supply the dam runs year round, thereby providing the community with a constant source of water. This water will be used for gardening, farming, and other everyday needs.

The community members who initiated and are involved in the project are the members of the Ndvwabangeni Inner Council. They form the community’s local traditional government. As the local representatives they hold a great amount of power to mobilize people to carry out and complete projects.

The community will provide all the labor, tools, and transportation of materials for the building of the dam. A government organization has donated the use of its bulldozer for the project.

Project funds will be used to purchase the materials to construct the dam and put in the piping, a tap, a concrete wall, and fencing to protect the water supply.

Funds will be collected from the community to be used for future repairs, thus ensuring sustainability.

965 people will directly benefit from this project. It provides not only a water source, but also impacts directly on the issues of malnutrition and food security.

This project has now been fully funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas 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 Volunteer Melissa Lin of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Melissa and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in Swaziland.

The climate is temperate in the west, but reaches 104 degrees in summer in the lowveld. The rainy season is during the summer, when rainfall may reach 78 inches in the west.

This project is to be done in a community located in the rural, dry lowveld. An extremely high unemployment rate, the highest global rate of HIV/AIDS occurrence, and a recent drought have hindered all development efforts while making progress all the more necessary.

One of the most pressing issues facing community members is lack of clean and reliable sources of water for drinking and sustaining small gardens (often the only reliable source of food for rural Swazi families). Current water supplies are prohibitively expensive to develop and maintain and people are continually dependent upon rain fall.

This project is to convert a local naturally-occurring well into a functioning tap. It is being carried out under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Serena Parcell in collaboration with the community. The project was developed with the help of a local rural water expert, after a series of community-wide meetings.

The community is contributing all of the labor and some of the funds for materials. Total community participation is 33% of the project cost.

This project will provide approximately 1,000 community members, located within a one-mile range of the well, with access to clean water. Thus it will have a tremendously high impact for the money spent.

This project has been funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a major contributor, as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

Any additional donations using the Donate button below will be used to fund other projects by this PCV and/or other PCVs in this country.

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