Basori Pump Repair Project – The Gambia

Community Description
The village of Basori is a large village of 15,000 people, located about 40 km south east of Banjul. The village has a nursery school, lower basic school, and also a clinic.

Currently the village has no safe drinking water and villagers drink out of open wells. These wells allow contaminants to enter, making the water unsafe for drinking. In addition they are a danger to the children who play around them and the young girls who collect the water.

In early 2010 the double pump on the borehole in the village broke, leaving the villages without safe water.

Project Description
This project is to repair the double pump in Basori.

The work will be done by an experienced local pump technician.

Project funds will be used for the parts necessary for the repairs, including repair kits, chains, axles, bearings, and centralizers, and for a portion of the labor costs.

The remainder of the labor will be paid for by the Basori Water Committee, which has already collected the necessary amount. In addition, they will continue to collect money on a monthly basis to fix future water problems as they arise.

Project Impact
The whole village of 15,000 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Rachelle Reynoso

Comments
The repair of these two pumps is essential and critical to the health and wellbeing of the people of the village. It will guarantee a source of safe water, and eliminate the use of unsafe open wells.

The water committee is committed to sustaining the water supply for the community well into the future, and has already implemented the plans to accomplish this.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has 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 Rachelle Reynoso of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Rachelle and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in The Gambia.

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

Conclusion of Basori Pump Repair Project – The Gambia

This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Rachelle Reynoso. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.

The project was to repair the double pump in Basori.

Rachelle reports:

I worked with the water committee, comprised of the Kafoo (area) leaders, to begin to talk about the water issues in the village. We then started a bank account and began collecting money from the villagers to supplement the Water Charity funds, and also to save for when the pumps fail in the future.

Within 2 days of receiving the funds, a repairman came from the neighboring village to fix the double pump.

The pump now provides the only clean water in the village of 15,000. When I left in December the pumps were still working great.

The village is very happy to once again have access to clean drinking water.

After talking with the nurse in the village and looking at the data of cases of diarrhea, we noticed a significant drop in the number of such illnesses.

This project represents a first step toward creating a system that will be sustainable for the future. The village is now working with another local NGO to get their solar pump system fixed using the money they have saved.

Thank you so much for you contribution. It is invaluable to the people who can now drink clean water and keep themselves and their families healthy.

We are grateful to Rachelle for completing the project, and again wish to thank Six Senses for providing the funding.