Samoa

Community Description
Salesatele is a rural village on the southern coast of the island of Upolu. It is a typical Samoan village in which the matai (chiefs) and pulenu'u (mayor) work together to preside over the community.

Income is generated primarily from agriculture and fishing, as well as remittances. Every family has a plantation in which a variety of foods are grown to feed the large Samoan families. Many families fish in order to supplement the land-based foods.

Both a pre-school and a primary school are in the village, teaching kids from Salesatele and a neighboring village. A few residents have jobs as teachers, either in Salesatele or in neighboring villages, while others go to Apia to work in shops or government Ministries.

A marine protected area is also present in the community, giving a sheltered area for fish to grow to maturity, and the village is working on raising giant clams to re-stock the reef.

The source for the pipe water is a river in a nearby village. When heavy rain comes, the pipe water is tainted brown and is unfit for drinking or cooking.

Project Description
The small river which forms the eastern border of the village has a freshwater spring bubbling up. This area is cemented off, forming a reservoir. However, it is not big enough for practical use and the clean water runs into the river unused.

This project will create a vaita'ele or freshwater pool with the spring. The pool will be used as a source for clean, fresh water to be used for drinking and cooking, as well as for laundry and bathing.

Funds will be used to buy cement and other supplies. The village will provide all labor and the services of a carpenter who will oversee construction.

Project Impact
This project will serve approximately 350 people in 40 households.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Erica Wales

Comments

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0 - This project has been fully funded through the generosity of wurld, Jared & Ruth Honore directors, a new socially-conscious water company headquartered in New Zealand.

Community Description
Tufutafoe is a remote rural village of 300 residents. Water consumption from current pour flush toilets is currently excessive, and groundwater is polluted from unsealed septic pits.

Project Description
This project involves the construction of a dry composting toilet at the community center of the village, and an educational program to teach the families of Tufutafoe and surrounding villages to construct their own toilets.

The technology to be used is a double vault composting toilet with one stool that can alternately be placed over either vault when one is full (this is where the composting happens). This version has a urine diversion option that requires a slightly different stool and the addition of small rubber tubing. Urine diversion can be done where the location’s geography (rocky, sandy, etc.) allows for a toilet side garden.

The latrine will be constructed by the village and Peace Corps volunteers, all providing free labor. The village and/or fellow Peace Corps volunteers will also contribute sand, gravel, transportation costs, food for laborers, and Mineral of Natural Resources pathogen testing fees.

In conjunction with the Samoan Ministry of Health, a demonstration will be prepared to show the benefits of the composting toilet, and to teach the village how best to use it.

The successful completion of this model is expected to lead to follow-up projects at the primary school and at individual family compounds.

PCV Jennifer Koch will oversee the construction, and control the budget, timetable, and quality of the work. Further, she will direct the educational process and extend the beneficial results into the future.

Project Impact
The village of 300 people, and others in surrounding areas, will learn about dry composting technology and adopt the new human waste disposal model.

The approach will result in improvement in the quality and quantity of the available water supply by remediating the groundwater source. It will also result in a safe natural hummus to fertilize tree crops.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jennifer Koch

Comments
This project has the ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of a different technology to the entire island. The model project concept allows the community to participate in the construction, learn the new technology, evaluate its effectiveness, and replicate the construction where needed.

This is more than just the construction of a toilet at a community center. The visibility of the project and local participation can be expected to lead to the dissemination of a proven technology that will resolve existing water supply problems in the community.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$10.00

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.

Dollar Amount Needed
$490.00