$301 to $400

Community Description
The island of Saona is located off the South East point of the Dominican Republic. The island is a part of the Dominican Republic National Park system, Parque National del Este.

Mano Juan, located one hour by boat from the port of Bayahibe, is the larger of two coastal communities located on the island. It has a population is 230 people, 28% of whom are youth under the age of 18.

People living in Mano Juan are financially dependent on the tourism industry, with a minority depending on fisheries.

Mano Juan does not have a potable water system. Therefore, individual homes collect rainwater, which they chlorinate and use for drinking.

Over half of the families in Mano Juan lack a sanitation facility, and the residents utilize the beach or forest for their needs, thus creating environmental and health problems.

The Mano Juan Primary School is located in the community, and teaches through the 8th grade.

Project Description
This project is to construct two EcoBaños (ecological bathrooms or composting latrines) at the school.

The Pro Desarrollo Comunitario de Mano Juan committee, with assistance from the Peace Corps environmental volunteer, has planned this as a pilot project. The ultimate goal is for every house in Mano Juan to have a proper sanitation facility within the next 2 years.

The design provides for the capture of the waste above the ground, thus eliminating the possibility that the groundwater will be polluted.

The cement double-vault latrines will be constructed of steel-reinforced concrete. The concrete is made by mixing cement, sand, and gravel.

The “toilet” portion is made from a specific mold that allows for the separation of the urine and fecal matter. Urine exits through a tube, and the fecal material is left to dry. The composted material can then be safely removed and used as fertilizer.

The base has two compartments. The first compartment will be used until full, an average of 6 months. That compartment will then be capped, and the second compartment will be used.

Trained Health Promoters will visit the school and cover different topics ranging from health risks to parts of the latrine. A local mason has attended an EcoBaño training, and will construct the latrines, with construction time projected to be 2 ½ weeks.

Community participation includes manual labor volunteers for every work day for 7 days, and breakfast and lunch for the laborers. Transportation from port to island has been donated by the local Ministry of Environment office.

Community members will transport materials from the community dock to the storage location at the school. The community solicited the donation of materials, including the zinc needed for the structure.

Student groups have raised funds through various community events to buy paint, with which students will paint an educational mural upon completion of project.

Project funds will be used to buy the remaining materials. In addition, they will pay for the labor of the mason and some transport costs.

The Health Promoter will continue with education during and after the construction to ensure that the latrine is maintained properly.

Project Impact
230 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Colleen Ferris

Comments
The project will provide appropriate sanitation facilities for the school, and also serve as an educational and motivational tool to demonstrate the composting latrine technology for proper waste management.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$205.00

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you "naming rights", if that is something you would like.

Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$350.00

Community Description
Fass Kahone is a small town of approximately 150 residents, located approximately 20 km north of the national highway in the southern region of Kolda, Senegal. It is divided into 15 family compounds, with a population of 20% adult males, 28% adult female, 28% boys and 24% girls.

The village is primarily Pulaar speaking, with primary economic dependence on subsistence farming, some sale of crops and vegetables, and small business ventures. The primary agricultural outputs are corn, millet, peanuts, cotton and rice.

There are currently four wells in the village. Of these four, only one has a pulley and none have completed well heads, leaving them susceptible to surface run off and collapse.

All four of the wells are simple, hand-dug, unlined pits. They reach an average depth of 15-20 meters, with the water table highly variable throughout the year. As they are, the wells present a danger of physical injury, as well as diarrheal disease, due to contamination.

Project Description
This project is to improve 4 wells in Fass Kahone.

Construction will include the reinforcement of well openings to prevent collapse, creation of 100 cm high cement well heads, and installation of pulleys.

The cement work will be done by a local mason from Fass Kahone. All work will be coordinated by the PCV community counterpart in Fass Kahone, Mr. Oumar Balde.

Project funds will be used for the purchase of materials, including cement, pulleys, and bleach. The village will pay for the labor of the mason.

The communities will provide sand, rocks, water and transportation of materials to the various sites. The materials will be purchased in Dabo by the PCV and the community counterpart.

Following construction, all wells will be sanitized with bleach and communities will be given short lessons on the importance of good sanitation and hygiene practices, including continual well bleaching and hand washing with soap.

Within the next year, the community will raise money for the purchase and installation of wooden covers for each of the four wells.

Project Impact
150 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Sharon Forstbauer

Comments
This is a high-impact project that will greatly improve the existing infrastructure and have a significant public health impact. Installation of well heads and well covers will greatly decrease the risks of physical injury and disease due to contamination.

Dollar Amount of Project
$350.00

Donations Collected to Date
$0.00

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you "naming rights", if that is something you would like.

Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$350.00

Community Description
Semenivka is a Regional Center in Poltava Oblast situated in central Ukraine with a population of about 8,000. The region is generally an area of agricultural production, focusing on sugar beets and meat processing plants.

There are 2 schools in Semenivka proper with many smaller outlying schools in villages and towns.

1st school in Semenivka uses water every day for cooking meals. A report from the Regional Sanitary Epidemiological Station, which monitors water in the region, has designated the iron and bacteria levels in the school water to be unsafe for drinking.

As of now the school must boil all of its water to eliminate the bacteria. However, that process does not remove excess iron.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install a water filter in the kitchen of the school cafeteria.

An OC-2 /OC-2H water filter will be purchased from Ukrainian Filter System at the regional center, located about 80 kilometers from the Semenivka. All necessary piping and connectors will be purchased at a local hardware store.

The filter uses the method of reverse osmosis with a five-level filter. Substances such as magnesium, mercury, nitrate, nitrite, strontium, arsenic, cyanide, asbestos, fluoride, lead, sulfates, iron, chlorine, as well as radionuclides, all bacteria and viruses, are all filtered and removed from the water.

Project funds will be used to purchase a OC-2 /OC-2H water filter and connecting pipes.

The community will install the water filter at no cost, using their own tools, and will maintain and repair the water filter when necessary in the future.

Project Impact
500 children and about 30 staff members of 1st School will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Chris Hagel - Ukraine

Comments
The children and staff will benefit from clean drinking water from the cafeteria because the incidence of waterborne illnesses due to bacteria, and the adverse effects of heavy metals and other pollutants, will be reduced.

Dollar Amount of Project
$400.00

Donations Collected to Date
$0.00

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you "naming rights", if that is something you would like.

Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$400.00

Community Description
Kirovograd, on the Inhul River, is an oblast capital city, located in the center of Ukraine.

The Kirovograd Regional Universal Research Library Named After Chizhevsky is the largest library in the oblast and hosts a Window on America Center, Bibliomist computer lab, and center for people with visual disabilities. It also offers a legal advice clinic, non-profit for women who are victims of trafficking, European integration center, and many other sources of information for the community.

However, the building has no hot water. The lack of hot water, not only for the 120 people who are on staff at the library but also for the 174,000 people who are library patrons, is a cause of concern for a number of reasons. People are unable to wash their hands with hot water after using the restrooms, staff is unable to use hot water to wash dishes and the library must use cold water for sanitary purposes. This impacts not only the library staff but also all of the people who visit the library.

The library is a government organization with no extra funds for improvement of the facilities.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install two hot water heaters (boilers) for use at the library.

The boilers to be use are "Aston Waterway VM80 N4L". Each has a capacity of 80 liters and a five-year warranty. One boiler is to be installed in the kitchen on the third floor of the library. This boiler can be used by staff for washing dishes and obtaining hot water for cleaning the library.

The second boiler is to be installed in the public women's room, and will have plumbing so the hot water will also be available in the men's room (which shares a wall with the women's room).

The library will educate the community on the importance and benefits of using hot water for sanitation.

Project Impact
All 120 of the Library's employees and up to 174,000 annual patrons will benefit from this project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Karin Jones

Comments
Karin previously completed the Internat School Water Project – Ukraine.

The project will allow for the practice of better sanitation procedures, thus improving the health and wellbeing of the community.

Dollar Amount of Project
$400.00

Donations Collected to Date
$0.00

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you "naming rights", if that is something you would like.

Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$400.00

Community Description
The town of Rezina, with a population of about 13,000, is located next to the beautiful river Nistru in the Northeast of Moldova.

Despite the beautiful landscape, the community has been hard hit by economic woes. A lack of jobs has left many children in the care of grandparents or other family members, as parents are forced to move abroad in order to provide for their families.

Though Rezina can boast many businesses that line its streets, including the largest cement factory in Eastern Europe, many external factors, including the poor state of the road from the capitol city of Chisinau to Rezina, have impeded business growth.

In spite of these hardships, the people of Rezina are a positive, hardworking community, proud of their town and its history. They are looking toward a brighter future that lies in the hands of Rezina’s children and its schools.

Liceul Teoretic Stefan Cel Mare is just one of the four schools in Rezina. Two Romanian language schools, one Russian language school and one boarding school for students with learning disabilities, provide education to both the students of the town as well as the many surrounding villages.

The Stefan Cel Mare School has served the community for over 12 years. Its bright students with Romanian as their mother tongue take foreign language lessons in French, English and Russian along with the ten other subjects covering everything from physics to geometry and physical education.

The building which holds the school was built in 1950 as a dormitory for students of the boarding school. It is now the largest school in Rezina with the smallest building space, serving the nearly 700 students, 45 teachers and 30 staff members.

There is a small medical office in which the school’s nurses provide low cost medical services to as many as 200 members of the community every month.

There are currently two bathrooms, installed when the building was first constructed, available as a facility for the almost 1,000 people who enter the building every month. One bathroom, for girls, is located on the second floor, while the other bathroom, for boys, is located on the first floor.

The bathrooms are in a constant state of disrepair and do not provide adequate privacy for its users. There are no other bathroom facilities in the immediate area. Many times users refuse to use these bathrooms as they are unsanitary and unsafe for students and teachers.

The fresh and waste water systems that serve the four bathroom stalls are in need of repair. Also, users do not have adequate facilities to wash their hands after using the bathroom or before eating.

Project Description
This project is to renovate and upgrade the two bathrooms at the Stefan Cel Mare School.

The specific work to be done includes the following:

• Take out the existing 2 sinks in the boy’s bathroom as well as the eroding pipes that connect it to the central waterway.
• Remove the existing sink in the girl’s bathroom as well as the pipe that connects it to the central water system.
• Remove the existing tile on the floors of the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms.
• Purchase 4 sinks with attached faucets, 4 soap dispensers, 10 meters of standard PCP piping (with needed shutoff valves, drain extensions, drains, traps and clean-out plugs), tiling, and 2 hand dryers from Rezina’s main construction store.
• Install the new tiling in the floor of the girls’ and boys’ bathrooms.
• Install 1 sink in the existing space and the new pipes in the girls’ bathroom on the second floor of the school.
• Construct space for a second sink in the girl’s bathroom as well as the piping that will connect it to the central water line. Install second sink in this new spot.
• Install 2 sinks in the already existing spaces and the new piping in the boys’ bathroom on the first floor.
• Install soap dispensers (two for each bathroom) and hand dryers (one for each bathroom) in the walls of the girls’ and boy’s bathroom.

An engineer working with the local mayor’s office will help with the construction and installation on a voluntary basis, as his wife is the school librarian.

After construction, the school nurses and other volunteers within the school will administer health seminars to all students, advising on more acceptable ways of keeping a healthy and clean school.

Project Impact
This project will benefit 700 students, 45 teachers, and 30 staff members, in addition to 200 visitors who come to use the medical facility every month.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Katie Hiebert

Comments
This is a high-impact project that will create more sanitary conditions for the many users of Rezina’s Liceul Teoretic Stefan Cel Mare.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$165.00

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you "naming rights", if that is something you would like.

Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$390.00