Kounkane Ecole Privee 1 Well - Senegal
LocationKounkane, Senegal
Community Description
Kounkane is a village of about 3,000 people. It attracts students from about 35 surrounding communities for education purposes, as it located on the main road, and is relatively large, A few homes have running water, but for the most part everyone relies on wells for their water supply.
Project Description
Ecole Privee 1 is one of two schools for children who cannot attend the public schools because of either behavioral or learning problems. It does not have a well, so it is difficult to maintain adequate water for the use of the students, and to maintain sanitary conditions.
The school receives no state funding. The nominal fee to attend is dedicated to teachers’ salaries.
This project is to construct a hand-dug well at the school. The well will be dug by local laborers, and then a local mason will do the concrete work.
The funds will be used to pay for the labor, and to pay for materials, consisting of concrete, a pulley, and a cover.
The project is being done in the rainy season when the water table is high. Funds are being reserved to increase the depth of the well when the water recedes.
Project Impact
This project will affect the health and wellbeing of 1,000 people. It will provide water to a school where none exists at present.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Emily Morris
Comments
This project solves a critical problem, that of providing water for the school before the start of the school year. It demonstrates the value of our approach, to fund and complete projects immediately, without red tape.
Dollar Amount of Project
$350.00
Donations Collected to Date
$350.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded. It has been "adopted" through the generosity of Jennifer McIntosh, in honor of her dad, Averill Strasser.
This project has been completed. Click HERE to see the final report.
Emily has proceeded on to the next project, Kounkane Ecole Privee 2 Well. Please CLICK HERE to read about it and support it.
Conclusion of Kounkane Ecole Privee 1 Well Project – Senegal
To read about the start of this project, CLICK HERE
The Kounkane Ecole Privee 1 Well Project in Senegal was completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Emily Morris. Emily is proceeding right on to a follow-up project, Kounkane Ecole Privee 2 Well Project. Using the same technology, a similar well will be built at the second school.
Emily reports that the well was completed in time for the return of the children to school. The local parents group has mobilized to buy a large stone jar that will be filled every morning to cool the drinking water.
This is one project where a picture is worth a thousand words. Although the technology is simple, the craftsmanship and accuracy that is required can be easily seen.
Emily reports:
While the well itself is finished, a metal worker is fitting the protective grill right now. (The grill is to prevent children from falling down the well). The current depth is about 8 meters. It is the rainy season now and the water table is high. In February, the dry season, work will resume and they will dig to a depth of about 12 meters.
The project expenses, totaling $360, were as follows:
Digging the well: $180
The rebar, plus 6 bags of cement, plus labor for surrounding the well: $130
The metal grill protecting the well: $50 (ideally this would have been a complete metal cover, but that cost more and the grill is fine).
Emily expressed her gratitude, and that of the community, as follows:
Thank you again for this opportunity, and thanks to [Jennifer] for funding it. This was the easiest project I have worked on during my service. I think it is hard for people in a developed country to realize the magnitude of this well.
The heat here is unimaginable, and the idea of trekking to go find water is in a word, depressing. I am so happy these children, who are supposed to be in a safe, learning environment, will have water available to them throughout the day.
Although this project has been fully funded, your donation would be appreciated for Kounkane Ecole Privee 2 Well Project, which is underway. Please CLICK HERE to read about it and support it.