Fully Funded

Community Description
Kyamue Village is located in the lower half of Eastern Province in Kenya. The area is referred to as Ukambani because it is largely inhabited by the Akamba tribe.

The Lower Eastern Province of Kenya consists of mostly semi-arid areas with around 70% of its population relying on livestock and agriculture farming as their only source of income. Close to 95% of the community's population plant maize and beans twice a year as sustenance for their family and to supplement their other household income.

Unfortunately, like most semi-arid areas, water accessibility is a problem. In addition, the area is very prone to drought with the long rains (March through May) becoming increasingly more unreliable. During times of drought it becomes incredibly difficult for families to harvest enough food to feed themselves as well as earn the money needed to send their children to school.

Generally, people draw their water from the nearby river which involves creating somewhat of a well by digging below the surface of the sand to get "clean" water. Unfortunately, this water is often contaminated because people will reuse these wells instead of digging a new one and people also bring their livestock to the river to drink from these wells.

Project Description
This project is to build a rainwater catchment system to capture and store water for drinking, household use, and irrigation.

The project will be carried out by the Talmmak Self-Help Group (SHG). The group was able to acquire an 8,000-liter tank to be used for rainwater catchment but was left without gutters required to actually catch the rainwater.

The rainwater that will be collected will be potable, and will represent a vast improvement over the existing sources.

Last year, the members of the SHG were able to construct a greenhouse as an income-generating activity (IGA) through the local community-based organization (CBO). They started by planting tomatoes and selling them throughout the surrounding community. Recently, they also began planting onions and garlic. The captured water will be used to irrigate the crops during the rainy season.

During the dry seasons, they will be able to fetch the poorer quality water from the river to use in the greenhouse's irrigation system, thus leaving the clean rainwater solely for drinking water and other household needs.

Appropriate Projects funds will be used to buy the materials needed for the gutters and piping, as well as a drip irrigation kit. The gutters will assure the group is not without water during the rainy seasons while the drip irrigation will help to regulate the amount of water being used making those taxing trips to and from the river less frequent.

The group will be responsible for purchasing the needed materials and then finding a mason who is capable of putting up the gutters, and if needed, another artisan to install the drip irrigation kit. The group will assist with the installation where they can, and at least two group members will be trained on how to properly maintain the drip irrigation kit.

Project Impact
This project will directly benefit about 200 people, the group members and their families, and indirectly affect the remainder of the community, about 300 more people, by providing them with fresh vegetables within the area.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Laken Rippentrop

Comments
This project will ensure that there will be a nearly constant supply of fresh and clean drinking water, and also abundant water for maintaining the community garden.

Dollar Amount of Project
$510.00

Donations Collected to Date
$510.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the Peace Corps Volunteer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

Community Description
Ngouey Marie is a small, ethnically diverse village in Senegal’s peanut basin, located 6 km from the town of Sokone.

The people of Ngouey Marie are from the Bambara, Mandinka, and Wolof ethnic groups. Ngouey Marie has 12 compounds and a population of approximately 250 people.

All of Ngouey Marie’s families are engaged in subsistence farming. During the dry season, small-scale cashew orchards are an important source of income for almost every family. Additional dry season activities include animal husbandry, masonry, and crafting of wooden agricultural tools.

People openly defecate in the woods, or, in the case of small children, just outside the family living space. Only one of Ngouey Marie’s 12 family compounds has a latrine.

Project Description
The project is to construct 12 simple cement-lined and capped pit latrines, one for each compound.

Members of each compound will dig a hole two meters deep and one and a half meter wide. They will acquire sand and rocks to be mixed with cement.

After these tasks have been completed, project funds will be used to purchase three 50 kg bags of cement and five 10-meter rebar reinforcing irons per latrine. Families will be responsible for transporting these items from Sokone to the village.

Members of every family compound will mix and spread their own cement. Compounds without basic masonry skills will pay or bargain for a mason.

Finally villagers will construct a traditional “sacket” privacy fence made of millet stalks to enclose the latrine.

After the latrines have been constructed, a neighboring Peace Corps volunteer from the Health sector will give a talk in Wolof on hand washing and the process by which diarrheal diseases are spread.

Project Impact
Approximately 250 people will be affected by this project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Joey Johnston

Comments
The project is expected to yield benefits in the health, wellbeing, and dignity of the villagers. Since each will contribute large amounts of labor, there is a feeling of ownership, which will ensure that the latrines will be completed and maintained.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the Peace Corps Volunteer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

Community Description
Kounkane is a rural road town located on Route National 6 in southern Senegal, with a population of approximately 9,300, the majority of whom belong to the Pulaar ethnic group. Most of the economy relies on agriculture, primarily of corn, rice, millet, peanuts, and cotton.

The town hosts a mayor’s office, a health post, five primary schools, one CEM (the equivalent of a middle school), and one lycee (the equivalent of a high school). It is also located 9 km from Diaobe, host to one of the largest open-air weekly markets in West Africa, and an important source of commerce in the region.

The Kounkane Lycee began operating in the 2009-2010 school year, and sits approximately 1.5 km south of the town center. It provides vital educational opportunities for students within Kounkane and those from outlying villages, as it is the only fully-functioning lycee between Velingara (30 km away) and Kolda (100 km away).

Specifically, the lycee provides needed secondary education for local girls, whose parents are more reluctant to send their daughters away to larger cities to go to school. The school has 8 classrooms and currently educates 193 male students and 70 female students, and also has one simple hand-dug well.

Due to lack of local government and NGO funding for secondary education, the lycee lacks many necessary facilities, including electricity, running water, an administrative office, a fence, and most importantly, latrines. There are currently no toilet facilities at the lycee, leaving students and faculty no choice but to leave school if they need to use the bathroom. This not only curtails time for students to learn in the classroom, but also creates a health hazard.

Project Description
This project will build two simple latrines behind the classrooms at the Kounkane lycee: one two-chamber latrine for students, and one single-chamber latrine for faculty.

The latrines for students will be housed in a 3.5 m by 2 m building with reinforced cement walls, which are aerated at the top. The two chambers (each 1.5 m by 1.5 m) will be separated by a cement wall. The building will have a zinc roof and zinc doors. PVC piping will connect the stalls to an underground septic tank approximately 2 m from the chambers. The tank will be 3 m deep, 1.5 m long, and 1.5 m wide, aerated by PVC pipe, and lined with rebar-reinforced cement.

The latrine for faculty will be housed in a 2 m by 2 m building with reinforced concrete walls. Like the latrine for students, the building will have a zinc roof and zinc doors. PVC piping will connect the stall to an underground septic tank approximately 2 m from the chamber, which will be 3 m deep, 1.5 m long, and 1.5 m wide, aerated by PVC pipe, and lined with-rebar reinforced cement.

Appropriate Projects funds will be used to purchase cement, rebar, sand, gravel, zinc sheets, and wooden beams for the construction of the chambers and septic tanks, and will also pay for a local mason to construct the septic tanks.

The lycee will provide PVC piping to connect the chambers to and aerate the septic tanks, and turkish toilet seats, and will pay for labor for the construction of the chambers. The lycee will also provide buckets for storing water to flush the toilets.

Project Impact
The project will benefit 289 people, including 193 male students, 70 female students, 20 male faculty members, and 6 female faculty members.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Geoffrey Burmeister

Comments
This is a vital project for the students, faculty, and community at large in that it will improve the learning environment and reduce illness caused by open defecation.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00

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 Geoffrey Burmeister of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Geoffrey and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

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

Community Description
Paymar Hamady is a Pulaar village about 40 km south of Kaolack. It is 9 km on bush roads to the nearest road town of Keur Madiabel. People in the area typically make their living farming peanuts, millet, and sorghum as well as through animal husbandry. Because it is a common occupation, the demand for these products is low as are the prices making it difficult to supply even some of the most basic needs.

The most common health concern in the Keur Madiabel area is diarrheal illnesses. One cause of that is open defecation. Flies land on feces, and carry around diseases. They then land on food, causing diarrheal disease. Diarrhea is especially bad for children, as their immune systems are not as strong as that of adults. One method of decreasing the high levels of diarrhea and putting an end to the oral-fecal cycle is the construction of latrines with proper ventilation systems.

Paymar Hamady is a village of about 250 people living in 13 compounds. Sadly, the village contains only 2 latrines. Neither of the latrines is properly ventilated to reduce the number of flies entering and leaving the pit. Also, due to the low number of latrines, most villagers resort to defecating in the fields where they work.

Project Description
This project is to construct 13 latrines, one for each compound.

The latrines will be a simple unlined pit latrines. Members of each household throughout the village will dig a hole 2 meters deep and 1 meter wide. They will collect the sand and rock required to mix with the cement. They will also be responsible for the transportation of materials from Keur Madiabel.

A mason from a nearby village will make the platforms. The cement caps will be constructed by laying rebar within a wood mold made of planks. The cement will then be poured into the mold and left to set. A ventilation tube will be installed into the cement cap of each latrine to reduce the number of flies entering and leaving the pit.

Each latrine will be enclosed in a fence made of either millet stalks or branches woven between posts. The type of enclosure is chosen by the household, which will be responsible for the construction.

After completion of the project, a training will be held on proper sanitation and prevention of diarrheal illnesses.

Project costs will cover the cement, iron for reinforcement of the platform, PVC pipe for ventilation, and the salary of the mason.

Project Impact
The 250 people occupying the village, distributed among 13 compounds, will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Rosanne Dunivan

Comments
This project will have a profound impact on a village that is presently almost devoid of latrines. Since each compound is participating, it will ensure complete community coverage. The extensive participation of all of the families, in labor, materials, and training, points toward sustainability.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation, with additional funds from Rosanne's friends and family for future projects.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the Peace Corps Volunteer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

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

Community Description
The commune of Cazangic, which includes the villages of Cazangic, Selişte and Frumuşica, is located in the south of the Republic of Moldova along the western side of the country which borders Romania. Raion Leova and the commune of Cazangic are the midpoint along a major strategic route to the city of Cahul in the south.

The Turkish semi-autonomous state of Gagauzia makes up the southern edge of the country thus making Cahul the major trade hub of the South of Moldova. The northern edge is made up mostly of the breakaway region of “Transnistria,” with which Moldova fought a war in 1992 and where the vast majority of the state’s industrial sector was located prior to independence.

The town boasts three small medical centers, a central school attended by the three villages that make up the commune and a total of seven businesses including two in agriculture, which provides almost 100% of the working age population with employment.

The commune of Cazangic has an official population of 1,751 people including 498 children (0-16 yrs.) There are 98 people registered as working abroad, which has been a huge problem for the Republic of Moldova as the majority of those that leave are in the 18-45 age range leading to a range of social problems.

Cazangic was founded in 1772 and is entirely a farming village. If one looks at a satellite map of the town and larger commune one will see a medium size enclave of houses surrounded by large and lush fields as well as seemingly never-ending rows of orchards.

The problems of Moldova lie within the political realm. Moldova has chosen a path of European Integration which led to a Russian boycott of its agriculture but despite its best efforts, it has not aligned its agriculture standards with the EU and thus is left only with a small Ukrainian market and its own local one. This has further exacerbated the economic problems which in turn increase migration, and a vicious cycle has been created.

The “Michael the Brave” grade school serves grades 1 through 9, and has 198 students and 17 teachers. Children are fed lunch provided by the Town in a central cafeteria. A recent survey of the school at the start of the school year showed that hygienic rules do not correspond to the state health requirements, because the dishes in the cantina are washed without hot water and there is a lack of consistency in hand washing between the summer and winter months. The winter month temperatures range from 30-40°F degrees in November to 22°F degrees in December and January.

The school does have natural gas to heat its classrooms but not its hallways and the school lacks a basic level of weatherization. Thus, most children do not wash their hands before or after lunch, in the winter, due to the frigid temperatures and despite the state requirements.

Project Description
This project is for the installation of a hot water heater in the school cafeteria to provide hot water for both the dish washer and the series of sinks the students use to wash their hands before and after meals.

The heater will include a 10-year warranty and a commitment by the town to maintain the equipment. The remainder of the money will be used to purchase ancillary equipment like piping, new faucet heads with hot and cold water options as well as a gas gauge to connect the piping to the hot water heater.

Also included in the total are some minor sewage upgrades required to install the new heater.

The hot water heater will be an electrical one rather than gas due to the very unstable gas prices in Moldova. This year alone, the gas prices suddenly skyrocketed 36% without prior warning leaving schools and homeowners alike scrambling to make up the difference. An electrical heater also leaves open the possibility to power it through the use of solar technology in the future.

The town retains an electrical engineer and all-around handyman to repair and maintain the school premises. He will complete the installation and upgrades as part of his contract and the town will pay for any electrical wiring and upgrades required by the new heater.

A small part of the money will go to pay for the technical plumbing work that the town’s electrical engineer is not able to do.

The project committee includes the Communal Mayor, Ion Gutu, PCV Tom Reade as well as the school director, Ludmile Justine, and the head of the local Parent Teacher Organization, Irina Chele.

The project will include seminars given Tom, a school nurse, one student leader and one teacher to instruct the students on the importance of basic health and hygiene. The first seminar will be given in the winter after the work has been completed.

After the construction component of the project has been completed, all students will be required to wash their hands before and after meals. Tom has arranged to measure how many children are currently washing their hands as well as the efficacy before the project and after the project is finished.

The dish washing machine is funded and maintained by the commune and Tom will also monitor its use before and after.

Project Impact
The project will directly benefit 198 students and 17 teachers and technical staff.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Tom Reade

Comments
This is a simple but effective project to improve the health and wellbeing of the students and staff at the school.

Dollar Amount of Project
$546.00

Donations Collected to Date
$546.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Tom Reade, with additional funds donated for future projects in Moldova.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Tom of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Tom and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.