Six Senses

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
Kharkov is located in the northeast of the country. Currently, it is the administrative center of the Kharkiv Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Kharkivskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. It is located 30 km from the Russian border.

Kharkov is the 2nd largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1.6 million people. Currently, it is an industrial, machine-manufacturing city. It was founded in 1654 and was a major center of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire.

Gymnasium #82 is the biggest school in the Kharkov Oblast with 1,300 students, 94 teachers, and 32 staff members. The students from 1st to 4th grade specialize in English language curriculum and about half of the secondary students continue their specialization in English.

Water in the city of Kharkov is filled with contaminants, including nitrates and excess sulfur, and every day in the school’s cafeteria, the students eat the lunches which were made with the local contaminated tap water.

Furthermore, students are entirely unable to drink water at the school. Their only source of hydration is, by default, concentrated juices and sugary teas. As a result, students at this gymnasium have a heightened propensity for dehydration, cavities, and poor dental health.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install a water filter for the kitchen of the school to provide clean water for cooking and drinking.

Profiltron, a water filter company in Saint Petersburg, supplied through Kharkov, Ukraine, has worked to find the ideal filter for the needs of the school.

The Aquaphor Viking Plus Water Filter is comprised of a stainless steel body with a two-stage replaceable filter cartridge. It can produce clean water at the rate of 10 liters per minute. It is designed to purify 40,000 liters of drinkable water.

The filtration system removes impurities such as chlorine, heavy metal ions, organic compounds, and all other water-soluble contaminants.

The maintenance staff of Kharkov Gymnasium #82 will install the system at no charge. The project funding includes the cost of the first replacement filter cartridge, which must be installed in 7 months. Thereafter, replacement will be done at a minimal cost every few years.

Following the installation of the first replacement cartridge, the school will support further filter cartridge replacement through donations from the community, including parents of students. The school’s staff is extremely dedicated to ensuring that the children have ongoing access to clean, safe water for consumption.

Project Impact
This project will benefit 1,300 students, 93 teachers, and 32 staff.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Whitney Farmer

Comments
The water filter will greatly improve the quality and cleanliness of the water used for cooking of the children's lunches as well as give them the opportunity to drink water.

Dollar Amount of Project
$520.00

Donations Collected to Date
$520.00

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 Whitney Farmer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Whitney and/or those 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 community of Aguas Frias can be found in the canton of Paturla, east of the municipality of Joateca in the department of Morazán. Currently, the community is struggling to find ways to gain access to potable drinking water, specifically for the school.

The only way to get water to the school from a natural water spring 300 meters away is to perforate the surface of the earth about 1 meter and fill buckets with the water which is then taken back to the school. Every day 2-4 children leave class to perform this process and provide water to their peers.

For many years, farmers and families working and living near the fresh water spring used it communally. During this time a small well was constructed to make the process easier for those who wanted to get water from the spring. As of 2008, when the school was constructed, the spring became a daily water source for its students, which they used to drink, cook and wash their hands.

Last year, in 2010, there was a landslide during the winter where the well had been, destroying the easy access it provided and leaving the community and the school without access to potable water.

Project Description
This project is to bring potable water to the school and the community. Specifically, a covered spring box will be built to allow community members to retrieve water for daily use. In addition, piping will be run from the spring box to the school through which water will be provided to the school.

The spring box will built by erecting a cement wall around a ditch in the natural water spring. A cement cover will prevent leaves and other materials that might fall into the box from disrupting the flow of water.

The manual labor will be performed by the school advisory board, or the Asociación del Consejo Escolar, which is made up of parents of students who attend the school.

Project funds will be used to buy cement to construct the spring box and its cover and the cement base for the tank at the school, 200 meters of poliduct tubing, which will run underground to the school, as well as the 1,100 liter Rotoplas tank, which will be placed at the school.

The teachers, students, and health promoter will be able to treat the water with a chlorine solution that kills parasites in the water by adding a few drops on a regular basis.

Project Impact
This project will benefit all of the 72 children, ages 4 to 14 years, who come from the communities of Estanzuela, Aguas Calientes, Coquinka and Cerro de Ocote Seco who attend the school. In addition, at least 200 other community members will benefit.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Shelby Fallon

Comments
This project will deliver safe drinking water to the school and relieve the students of the burden of hauling water each day.

In addition, the spring box will greatly benefit the community members who live near the spring and use it daily. This is expected to lead to the reduction the number of cases of diarrhea and waterborne illness in the community.

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, together with friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Shelby Fallon.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Shelby of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Shelby 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
Svetlii is a small village located in southern Moldova. It is part of the raion of Comrat, and is located in the semi-autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Russian is the primary language spoken, in addition to a mixture of Bulgarian, Gagauzian, and Romanian in the region. The major employers are the schools, college, and local agriculture.

Svetlii’s population is 2,066, but a large portion of the population at any given time is working abroad, primarily in Russia and Turkey, to send remittances home. The village is home to one agricultural college, one primary and high school, a small health clinic, two kindergartens, and a few small convenience stores and one bar, as well as an Orthodox and a Baptist church. Svetlii is located on a major highway that links Chisinau to the south of Moldova and receives frequent thru-traffic.

Currently the village is undergoing an overhaul in the underground pipe system, which will result in running water being brought to the second-half of the village. However, a recent water analysis describes the water as not meeting sanitary norms by the government, with high levels of ammonia, chlorine, and dry residues.

Currently there are 50 children, ages 2 to 6 that attend the kindergarten. This year an additional class will be held in the kindergarten, bringing the total number to 75. They are served lunches and snacks for which the cooks have to boil all the water, which is a time-consuming and inconvenient task.

Project Description
This project is to install a water filter in the kindergarten kitchen.

The water filter will be installed next to the kitchen sink, which is used for cooking and drinking water. The system uses a two-process filtration system. The first is a pre-filter, and the second filter uses a multi-stage reverse osmosis system. The filtration will remove up to 99% of contaminants, including the high levels of chlorine, dry residues, and ammonia.

Project funds will be used to purchase the filter system. As part of the all-inclusive price, a local firm will deliver, install, and maintain the filter, which will be guaranteed for 10 years.

The mayor’s office of Svetlii will purchase additional cartridges as needed.

Project Impact
75 children and 15 staff members will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Natalie Rooks

Comments
This project results in the removal of contaminants from water used for drinking and cooking at the kindergarten. It will improve the health and wellbeing of the children, and also will add to the effectiveness of the staff in serving the needs of the kids.

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 Natalie Rooks of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Natalie and/or those 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 town of Shatsk, with 6,000 people, is located in the northwestern corner of Ukraine, near the borders of Poland (15 km) and Belorussia (22 km). The town is located east of a natural border, called The River Bug, and in the heart of the Shatsk National Natural Park which serves is one of Ukraine’s national preserves for environmental protection. The region, similar to the rest of Ukraine, has been impacted by the global economic crisis, creating a gap in financing for public projects.

The Shatsk Forest College works to train qualified students in the areas of forest management, accounting, and related enterprises. Located in a center of Shatsk National Natural Park and Ukraine's lake district of 29 lakes, it is a 4-year college program with 500 students, of which 300 live at the college.

This dormitory is the home to 200+ students who have daily needs for hygiene, drinking, and cooking. The dormitory was built in 1960's and since that time no updates have been made to the water system, which has become rusty and broken, causing ongoing leaks.

At times waste water cannot pass because of blockage, which causes spillover. The current drinking water is not drinkable.

Project Description
This project is to renovate the water supply and drainage system at the college by replacing the pipes, water filters, and faucets.

The specific work to be done is as follows:

1. Disconnect water supply from building
2. Remove all current pipes, related to water delivery on the 2nd floor.  (Work by employees and students)
3. Remove all current pipes, related to waste water on 2nd floor. (Work by employees and students)
4. Remove all sinks with broken faucets. (Work by employees and students)
5. Remove all flooring and walls – dirt, mold, etc. (Work by employees and students)
6. Install water delivery pipes (Maintenance Specialist)
7. Install new faucets to prevent leakage (Maintenance Specialist)
8. Install water filter, to allow for drinking water (Maintenance Specialist)
9. Install new floor and paint walls (Work by employees and students)
10. Reconnect water supply to building

Project funds will be used to pay for materials.

The school will provide all of the labor, and will pay any costs above the funds provided by Water Charity.

This project is a pilot project for the college. They will proceed to complete similar projects on their own in 2 other areas of the college to replicate the successes of this project.

Project Impact
200 students will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jay Pusey

Comments
This project provides essential repairs on a non-functional system at a modest cost. The great school participation ensures sustainability.

Jay previously successfully completed the Svitaz Village School Water Project – Ukraine.

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, with the friends of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Jay Pusey.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Jay of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Jay 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.