Mali

Intestinal worms and other parasites are especially dangerous for children, making them susceptible to dehydration, diarrhea, and malnutrition. Additionally, unkempt well areas attract mosquitoes, increasing the incidence of malaria.

Recognizing water quality as a major obstacle to their wellbeing, the community formed a Water and Sanitation Committee in December, 2008. Since then, they have held monthly meetings to discuss the community’s sanitation problems, and have participated in two major training sessions with Peace Corps staff.

The Committee designed, implemented, and completed 19 highly successful top-well repairs. Each repair involved intense structural reinforcement as well as the installation of a metal door to protect against debris and contamination.

The committee supplemented the construction with ongoing educational activities and monitoring of water treatment and sanitation behaviors.

The success of the first project generated such a positive response that the community is enthusiastically ready to expand their efforts. In this project, 35 top-well repairs will be done in the central village and surrounding hamlets.

The villagers are contributing 26% of the total budget, consisting of labor, gravel, boulders, transportation of materials, as well as a small amount of funds.

After the completion of the top-well repairs, the committee will monitor water quality and perform chlorine treatments. In addition, they will collect money from users to be utilized for repairs and future development.

The project is being carried out under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer E. Hurley.

This project restores ineffective wells to use as a resource for the community. The dynamic planning and implementation of the prior project, together with a large community contribution toward the project show their commitment. Their demonstrated fiscal responsibility, educational participation, and pre-planning for monitoring and maintenance all come together to ensure sustainability.

$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts and Spas 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 is being done in a very poor community, currently suffering under drought conditions. A secondary school was recently constructed, but there are not yet latrines for the schoolyard.

Diarrhea and dysentery are prevalent due to lack of sanitation.

Two sanitary latrines will be constructed at a secondary school, one for boys and one for girls. In addition handwashing stations will be built.

Project funds will be used to purchase cement, rebar, tin roofing, doors, paint, and other construction materials.

Villagers will go to the fields to provide 100 donkey carts of sand, 60 carts of gravel, and 12 carts of large rocks.

Local well-diggers will dig the latrine pits. Local masons will construct the latrines and hand-washing stations. The villagers will pay for the transportation of all purchased materials. Through the extensive use of local labor and resources, sustainability will be ensured.

The project is being done under the supervision of Peace Corps Volunteer Z. Mason.

As a result of this project, 7th through 9th grade students will be able to practice proper hygiene and thereby reduce disease transmission. Girls will especially benefit from the privacy afforded by the enclosed latrines.

You can designate that your contribution be used specifically for this project by clicking on the Donate button below.

The project is to construct 475 soak pits. A soak pit is a method of removing ground water by draining it down into the earth.

The funds provided by Water Charity are being used to purchase piping, cement, and plastic tarping needed to complete the pits. The project is being directed by Peace Corps Volunteer J. O’Keefe.

The construction of the soak pits will serve as both an opportunity to teach the specific methodology, and also as a focus to teach other clean water practices.

A soak pit is one way to reduce wastewater by sending it underground, purifying it, and ultimately into the water table. It is a large hole filled with rocks, with a pipe leading into it. The hole is covered with plastic and dirt, so that only wastewater entering the pipe can enter the hole.

Soak pits can last for years, resulting in such long-term benefits as a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing environment, a reduction of mosquito breeding grounds and decreased risks of malaria.

In preparation for the project, an assigned leader form the community, together with the volunteer O’Keefe, visited every traditional latrine in the village to assess the need for soak pits, resulting in the list of soak pits to be built.

The community is providing all the labor in constructing the soak pits. They will also supply the sandstone which fills the pits to filter and absorb the unclean water. In addition, they are assisting in the purchasing and transporting materials.

There is extensive community participation, both in the planning and implementation. There will be little need for maintenance, and the effects will be long lasting. The village is providing materials, labor, and transportation, ensuring continued commitment and resulting in sustainability.

This project gives immediate relief from a major problem confronting the village, that of the spread of disease through standing water. In addition, it provides training and teaching opportunities.

To designate that your donation be used for this specific project, please click on the Donate button immediately below.