Fully Funded

Location
Ban Rai, Thailand

Community Description
The community of Ban Rai is located in the province of Sukothai, which is the original capital of Thailand. The region is rich with history and contains ancient ruins of the Sukothai empire. The people of this region are proud of Sukhothai's history and celebrate it through festivals and visits to the historical parks.

Forty kilometers away from the historical park lies the community of Ban Rai. The majority of the income in Ban Rai is generated from farming, with over 80% of the land is dedicated to farms. There are a total of 3,616 people living in Ban Rai. 735 people work as farmers, which is 80% of the people who are of working age.

Farmers make a living harvesting rice, tobacco and bananas. Within the community there are two income generation groups. One group makes and sells cloth and the other makes and sells brooms. The average household income in Ban Rai is 41,828 baht a year, which converts to about $1,200 a year.

Local community resources include 4 schools, 2 temples, a daycare, a health station, a night clinic, a cloth weaving center, a post office, the Service Area Office, and a police station.

Ban Rai School was founded in 1946 and is the largest of three elementary schools in Ban Rai. The school consists of 12 teachers dedicated to teaching 232 students, ranging from ages 4-12.

The water supply within the community is limited during the daytime and is often unavailable altogether. At these times, students do not have access to clean drinking water and must drink rain water, which is often contaminated by bacteria in the water tanks and debris and pollutants in the atmosphere. Furthermore, there is insufficient water for cooking, cleaning, and use in the bathroom.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install a water tank and water purification system for the Ban Rai School.

Project Impact
The 232 students and 12 teachers at Ban Rai School will be directly affected by the availability of clean drinking water.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Kelsi George

Comments
This project will provide the school with a safe and secure source of water. The project arose from a need recognized by the director and teachers of the school. This assures that it will be used and maintained as a valuable school and community resource.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00

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 Kelsi George of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Kelsi and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in Thailand.

Location
Kula Village, Ntchisi District, Central Malawi

Community Description
Kula is a very rural farming community. Subsistence farming of maize, soy, beans, ground nuts, and tobacco is the primary source of income of the villagers. The vast majority of the homes are made of mud brick with thatched roofs.

This project will be done at the Kula Village Primary School. For the past two years, nearby families and school children have had to get their water from a river or unsecured wells.

Project Description
This project is to repair a borehole, on the grounds of the school, that has not been functioning for two years. Although several boreholes were repaired last year by the Malawi government, after a cholera outbreak in the area covered by the Kamsonga Health Center area, there were not sufficient funds to fix this one.

The District Water Technician from the Ntchisi District Water Office did an assessment of cost and feasibility of repairing the borehole. He reported that it is viable, and provided a list of items needed to make it functional.

Materials, including rods and various pump replacement parts, are available 40 km away, and will be transported by motorbike. The local technician has agreed to do the repairs.

Project Impact
There are about 20 families, and 350 primary school children attending the school, who will be using the borehole once it is repaired.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Judy Summers

Comments
This is the second project by Judy. Her prior project, the Kamsonga Health Center Pump Project – Malawi, resulted in the replacement of the pump at the Kamsonga Health Center, thereby restoring running water to the clinic.

For literally pennies per person, hundreds of people will have access to clean water. Fixing wells is a very high priority mission for Water Charity and Appropriate Projects, as it is so cost-effective. What else is there to say?

Dollar Amount of Project
$155.00

Donations Collected to Date
$155.00 plus additional amounts for future projects.

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Katherine E. Sisson, of Kingwood, Texas, USA, and Norma Scott, of St. Angelo, Texas, USA.

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

Location
This project will help five villages in the region of Kolda, Senegal. The villages of Goundaga, Linguewal, Sarre Nianthio, Sarre Keita, and Sarre Niappo are 105 km east of the city of Kolda, and located just south of the national highway.

Community Description
The communities are 100% Pulaar with the overwhelming majority being Fula Kunda. The population of the five villages is over 1,900 people and almost all are subsistence farmers.

Kounkane is the road town 7 km away, where people buy goods and send their children to middle and high school.

The villages are all less than 3 km away from the Kaynaga River. The river is dammed 4 km upstream to provide year-round water for gardening and fishing.

The villages of Goundaga, Linguewal, and Sarre Nianthio each have a health hut staffed by a trained volunteer from the village. The communities receive first aid, health trainings, and simple post-natal care at these sites.

Many of the wells in these communities were constructed improperly, either by using poor mixtures of cement or no cement at all. If they are not repaired, they risk collapse when heavy rainfall returns in the summer.

Although the water table is never deeper than 20 m, pulling water from the wells can be exhausting without the assistance of a pulley.

Project Description
This project is to reinforce 19 existing wells with cement, as well as build a pulley system for every well in each village.

The project funds will be used to purchase pulleys, rope, buckets, cement, and iron support bars.

Transportation will be donated by people within the community who own donkey- drawn carts. The labor will also be donated by experienced masons in the villages.

Project Impact
The project will provide access to clean water for over 1,900 people in 5 villages.

The pulleys will benefit the women and children the most, since they do almost all the water pulling.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Darren Watkins

Comments
This project accomplishes a phenomenal amount with a small expenditure. It falls squarely within the Appropriate Projects provision that calls for “fixing” what is broken before considering building new facilities.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00 plus additional amounts for future projects.

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Mark Caillier, of Keizer, OR, USA, and Brett Caillier, of Barstow, VA, USA.

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