Nyankui Well Garden Project - The Gambia

Community Description
Nyankui is a small village located in the Gambian bush consisting of roughly 1027 people. Nearly every person in the village earns an income by farming or selling vegetables at the local market.

Nyankui has a hard-working, incredibly active women's group with 135 members, a Village Development Committee that meets regularly, and an enormous community garden that is worked on by members of the women's group.

Although there are 4 garden wells in Nyuankui, only one is functioning through the dry season.

Project Description
This project is to build a well to provide irrigation for the community garden. The well will be dug by hand to a depth of 10 meters, sufficient to provide water year-round.

Project funds will be used to purchase the materials, including cement, wire, gravel, and sand.

Project Impact
1000 people, consisting of 135 women who participate in the project, their families, and other members of the village, will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Kasey Pendexter

Comments
A garden well provides more than just water to irrigate a community garden. It provides the means to grow crops all year, leading to better health, an economic opportunity, and the empowerment of a group of dedicated women.

Dollar Amount of Project
$469.23

Donations Collected to Date
$469.23

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of the friends of Kasey Pendexter.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Kasey Pendexter of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Kasey and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in The Gambia.

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

Conclusion of Nyankui Well Garden Project – The Gambia

This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Kasey Pendexter. To read about the beginning of this project, CLICK HERE. The project was for a well to provide irrigation for the community garden.

Kasey reports:

The Nyankui garden well took a mere 17 days to complete. After receiving the money, Ebrima Joof, Ebrima Camara, and Yero Camara all met me in Basse to do the shopping for specific materials needed. We sent all of the materials with a gele gele to Diabugu, then made arrangements for a donkey cart to come pick them up and travel the 14km into the bush to Nyankui./cite>

Despite one of the well diggers being sick, it took under 3 weeks for the well to be finished. 3 men worked every day in the blinding heat to make sure it was completed within the month deadline I had given them. The best part was that all the women were working in the garden while they were digging, and had plenty to say!

"Isatou Dabo, your people are so good to us," the women's group president said. "We will be able to water all our plants now, and not walk far or wait a long time at the other well," was another thing I heard whispered amongst the women on several occasions. In fact, once the well started to draw water, the women began using it!

Kasey, the the entire village of Nyankui, and Water Charity are grateful to the friends of Kasey who made this project possible through their donations.