Senegal

Community Description
The vibrant community of Barkedji is 35 kilometers southeast of the departmental capital, Linguere, nestled in the semi-arid region of the Sahel. The community is home to approximately 250 family compounds. The population, consisting largely of subsistence farmers and animal herders, fluctuates between 2,000 and 4,000 people.

The project will be working with a primary school located in the poorer outskirts of the village, Barkedji Sud. This intervention is phase two of the Primary School Water and Sanitation Project – Senegal previously completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Ann Marie Albright. (She also finished the Barkedji Kindergarten Water Project - Senegal .)

In the prior primary school project, water was brought to the school and bathroom facilities were constructed for the growing school population, this year numbering 163 students.

The dynamic school director, Daye Sow, aims to integrate the community and school. Mr. Sow states that “the community needs to believe in education and needs to play an active role in supporting their children’s education”.

Project Description
This project is to construct a water tap near the newly constructed bathroom facilities and basin at the site of a new community garden.

A trench will be dug and 30 meters of plastic PVC piping will be laid. Then a water tap will be constructed and a small half-meter square cement basin will be built to serve as a permanent sink for bathroom needs and hand washing.

The community has agreed once again to dig the trench to save on costs, and to bring the necessary sand for the construction.

Appropriate Projects funds will purchase the cement for the sink, PVC piping, glue and water tap. They will also pay the fee to transport the materials and pay all skilled labor.

Toward the end of integrating the school and community, a community garden will be created on school grounds. The school will provide the water, thanks to the previous Appropriate Projects project, and the parents of the students will provide tools and manage the garden. All proceeds will be split between parents and the school.

For the second part of this project, a square two-meter water basin, one-meter deep, will be built for water storage. The basin is essential for a successful garden in this semi-arid region, with the threat of water shortages.

Project funds will pay for the cement and for the skilled labor for building the basin.

The community will raise funds to construct a stick fence around the plot and purchase a hose and all other necessary tools to begin the community garden.

Project Impact
The 163 students of Barkedji Sud along with the 75 active members of the Parents Association will directly benefit from this project. The secondary health benefits of adding more vegetables to the village market will spread throughout the greater Barkedji community.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Ann Marie Albright

Comments
This project exemplifies the Appropriate Projects model of implementing staged projects that build upon the successes of their predecessors.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

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
$555.00

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
Dahra is located in the middle of Senegal, on the Route Nationale. It is considered the last major economic hub before reaching the Ferlo area, where Pulaar nomads herd their livestock. The town is comprised of both Wolof and Pulaar speakers, with a population ranging from 20,000 to 40,000, dependent upon the season.

Dahra has numerous schools to educate its population. However, those schools that are on the outskirts of town are often lacking in resources. The primary school Ecole Dahra Montagne is one of those schools.

Construction for Ecole Dahra Montagne began in 2009 to aid in the education of the Nget neighborhood’s growing population. Since then, only one of the proposed school buildings has been completed. The school opened its doors in October, 2011, unable to wait on the completion of the school. The school provides education for 127 students, at 5 different grade levels.

Currently, the school is composed of one completed building, which has two classrooms, and an unfinished house nearby that houses the other 3 classrooms. There is no bathroom facility. During the day, the older school children are able to walk to a nearby house to use their bathroom facility, but the younger children must wait or use the temporary latrine that the teachers of the school constructed.

Project Description
This project is to build a 3-stall latrine structure at the primary school Ecole Dahra Montagne.

The latrines will be housed in a simple reinforced-concrete building, 4.5 meters by 1.5 meters, and divided into 3 stalls. It will have a metal roof and metal doors, and each stall will have a Turkish toilet.

Each stall will be connected via PVC piping to a septic tank dug a few meters to the side of the building. The tank will be deep in order to ensure that it will not fill quickly with so many students using the latrines each day. The tank will be 3 meters by 4 meters in length and width, and 3 meters deep, rebar-reinforced and cement lined.

Appropriate Projects funds will be used to purchase materials, including cement, piping, and rebar, and to pay the mason.

The school’s parent/ teacher association will be responsible for some of the labor necessary for digging the septic tank and for painting the building.

The school children will be responsible for cleaning the latrine using water obtained from the nearest community water supply.

Project Impact
127 students and 6 teachers will directly benefit from this project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Laura Livesay - Senegal

Comments
This is an essential project to provide for the sanitation needs of this new school. It is well planned, using the appropriate technology to maximize impact for the funds spent.

Dollar Amount of Project
$550.00

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
$550.00

Community Description
Keur Madiabel, a community of 14,000, is located 33 kilometers south of Kaolack in what is known as the peanut basin of Senegal. The main sources of income are animal husbandry and agriculture.

Built in 1948, the local health post in Keur Madiabel is the main health facility for the community, and provides medical services for the farming and herding communities from 50 kilometers away. These services include basic first aid, pre-natal checkups, vaccinations, and baby weighing.

The health post employs one nurse, one midwife, and many other assistants. While the staff is motivated and resourceful, the hospital simply cannot support the current patient load in a safe and hygienic way, and patients are put at risk for infections and other complications.

The toilets at the facility are completely non-functional and there is no place at the maternity ward to wash hands, sanitize birthing equipment, or clean linens.

Project Description
This project is to repair the toilets in the health post and build a handwashing station in the maternity ward that can also be used to disinfect equipment.

Under the direction of the Keur Madiabel Health Committee, the work will be done by a mason who was hired to prepare the plans and a detailed estimate for the purchase of the materials. He will be donating labor for the project.

This project will go hand-in-hand with a total hospital renovation and a community clean-up day.

In addition, hygiene trainings will be held for health workers at the health post.

Project Impact
The health post usually sees about 250 patients per week, including baby vaccination days. In total, 14,000 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jessica Goza

Comments
This modest project will provide sanitary facilities needed for the prevention of the spread of disease.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

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
$555.00

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Community Description
The town of Ronkh is situated in the northwest corner of Senegal, on the border of Mauritania. Ronkh is 25 kilometers off the Route Nationale and 100 kilometers from the regional capital, Saint Louis. It is the administrative capital of its district and is home to 5,000 inhabitants, a poste de sante, two elementary schools, and a middle school. Its proximity to the Senegal River allows for year-round irrigation, and rice farming is the primary income and food source of the inhabitants.

Ronkh’s newer primary school, Ecole 2, was opened in 2000 to accommodate the expanding town’s needs. With six classes, the school currently serves approximately 300 students, 6 teachers, and a principal.

Ecole 2 lacks the foreign partnerships of Ronkh’s other two schools. As such, the principal has undertaken a great personal endeavor to ensure his school is equipped with the required materials and infrastructure. Thanks to his efforts, the school has projects either currently underway or scheduled to begin this winter that include providing the classrooms with electricity, latrine construction, and the construction and stocking of a new room to serve as a library.

Not included in the current development program, however, is access to running water. A survey conducted in spring 2010 found that of the 257 students surveyed 39% had experienced diarrhea in the past week and that 31% either did not wash their hands after relieving themselves or rinsed their hands with water only.

Project Description
This project is to provide running water for the school and to build a handwashing station next to the school’s latrines.

The town’s plumber will extend the nearest existing water pipeline approximately 150 meters. He will then construct an outdoor handwashing station, consisting of 3 robinets, which will be encased in bricks to ensure longevity.

The robinets will empty into a cement pool that will drain into the latrines’ septic tank. PVC piping, robinet hardware, and labor to dig the trenches for the pipeline will be bought with Appropriate Projects funding, while the bricks and labor needed to construct the handwashing station will be provided as an in-kind community contribution.

Following the handwashing station’s completion, the PCV and local health workers will sensitize the students on the importance of washing one’s hands with soap at critical times, using antibacterial soap provided by the school. A follow-up survey will be conducted several months down the road to determine the effectiveness of such sensitization.

Project Impact
307 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Sarah Kopper

Comments
Running water at the school will provide significant health benefits, including the reduction of the incidence of gastrointestinal illness due to improper hygiene.

Sarah previously completed the Ronkh Water Project – Senegal.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

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
$555.00