Six Senses

Community Description
Chinameca is located in eastern El Salvador within the Sierra Tecapa-Chinameca range in the department of San Miguel. The city is located on the northern slope of Cerro El Limbo at an elevation of 580 meters above sea level. Chinameca is 19.1 km west of the city of San Miguel, 2 miles south of the city of Nueva Guadalupe, 2.5 miles east of the city of Jucuapa, and 4 miles south of the Panamerican Highway.

Chinameca is a large town with a total population of 22,311 people. The urban population represents 27.9% of the total. Women hold the majority, and 48% of the population falls between the ages of 18 and 59. More than 32% of the population is of school age (4-17 years). About 8% of the population is younger than 3 years, while over 11% is 60 years of age or older.

Rural areas are dominated by agricultural production, especially coffee, fruit crops, and grains. The sale of these agricultural products serves as the main source of income. A series of public and private institutions serve as places of employment for the local urban population.

Public facilities in the community include City Hall of Chinameca, the sub-delegation of the National Civil Police, the local clinical division of the Ministry of Health, local and national courts, House of Culture, five public elementary schools, one national institute, local offices of the Salvadoran Social Security Services, and Central Farmer’s Market. The private sector consists of the industrial sector, various shops and services.

The industrial sector focuses exclusively on the processing and exporting of coffee. Commercial enterprises include a number of convenience stores, restaurants, hardware stores, bakeries and pharmacies. The service-oriented businesses include a local transportation cooperative, a number of churches, international divisions of the Red Cross, Lions Club and World Vision, professional offices offering medical, dental and legal consultations, a number of Internet cafes and beauty salons, two gas stations, a car wash, and a local NGO with a tree nursery. The city of San Miguel and its institutions also provide employment to the citizens of Chinameca, given the close proximity of the two cities.

There are concerns in Chinameca directly related to water quality and content. It is widely known that water supplies in Chinameca have higher than acceptable levels of fecal coliform, total coliform, and E. coli, as well elevated levels of diluted metals (a result of the geology of the area.)

The biological contaminants and metals in the water supply of Centro Escolar Julián Aparicio have the potential to put at risk childhood development and other public health complications. These are especially high for children still in development stages, like the children attending the school.

Project Description
This project is to install a water tank and filtration and purification system at the school, and to implement a series of interactive health and environmental education activities.

A fully-equipped plastic water tank with a capacity of 5,000 liters will be installed to ensure an abundant and reliable supply of water at the school.

A water filtration and purification system will be installed. This will help in reducing the susceptibility to diseases transmitted by contaminated water and mitigation of development risks and other health complications as a result of elevated pollutant concentrations in the water.

Finally, a series of interactive health and environmental education activities will be carried out to teach good personal hygiene practices as well as proper water use practices to protect and conserve local water sources.

To implement the project, three quotations from different water tank and material suppliers were obtained. In addition, a local mason was hired to carry out the site preparation and installation of the new water filtration, purification, and distribution system.

The site has been measured to ensure accurate and appropriate placement of the new water tank and system. The site still has to be prepared for the new tank, including a thorough cleaning and leveling of the area.

The water tank and the new system will be purchased and transported to the school by the supplier. With the help of the supplier, contractor, and a number of local community members the new tank will be installed in the school.

Centro Escolar Julián Aparicio has contributed $700.00 to the project and has already purchased the water purification system with these funds. An additional $575.00 of in-kind community contribution has been guaranteed by La Asociacion para el Desarrollo de Chinameca (ASDECHI) and local community members.

Through the Peace Corps Partnership Program, friends and family have raised $1,539.54 which will be used to purchase a fully-equipped 5,000 L plastic water tank.

Appropriate Projects funds will be used to purchase materials necessary for the completion of the water filtration and distribution system.

Upon completion of the physical portion of the project, an education campaign will begin in collaboration with school staff and the local Ministry of Health, with students and teachers attending. This will instill the benefits of clean drinking water and personal hygiene practices to ensure public safety and health, in addition to a focus on water in an environmental context.

Project Impact
617 children y 26 teachers of Centro Escolar Julián Aparicio will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Adam Birr

Comments
This project will ensure a healthy and sanitary environment for the children and staff at the school. Our participation in the larger program adds to a huge amount of public and private support, ensuring the success and sustainability of the project.

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 Adam Birr of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Adam 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
CACHES (Crianças Artistas Contra HIV e SIDA) is a community based organization in Chicumbane, Mozambique that combines elements of art, dance, music, theatre, and sex education to provide a structured after-school program and playing/learning environment for local youth. Although a relatively new organization, CACHES has already achieved wide recognition throughout the community and serves between 30-50 children daily.

The CACHES facility is often used for small-scale community events and is also home to JOMA and REDES groups, adolescent youth empowerment and leadership programs funded by PEPFAR.

The basic latrine used by children and facilitators of CACHES, composed of decaying reed and wire, is at this point insufficient to properly accommodate the high volume of use which it is getting. It offers very little privacy for children, and the lack of a proper latrine cover provides an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies. The lack of a roof means that the latrine (and its users) become subject to harsh weather elements. Oftentimes, children will choose to go to the bathroom in the surrounding bushes rather than enter the latrine.

Project Description
This project is to build an improved latrine with separate sides for boys and girls. It will be a simple rectangular reed structure fortified with cement, with one wall slightly higher so that water will easily drain off the corrugated tin roof, and two latrine holes, divided by a cement wall.

The dimension of the building will be 2 meters x 3 meters x 3/3.5 meters. In order to ensure privacy and prevent misuse, each entrance will have a locking door. The staff and activists of CACHES will maintain the facilities.

Project funds will be used to purchase materials, including rocks, cement, tin sheets, fabricated cement latrine covers, planks, doors, and locks, and to pay for labor.

In order to maintain a sense of ownership of the project, CACHES will provide the cement blocks.

Project Impact
150 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Vivienne Chao

Comments
A new and improved latrine will enable CACHES to continue to deliver quality services to children and the entire community.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00 + additional amounts

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative, with the help of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Vivienne Chao, with additional funds from the Elmo Foundation for future projects in the country.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Vivienne of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Vivienne 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
Jargalant -- popularly known as "Ulaan Tolgoi" or "Red Head" -- is situated in Orkhon province, in the central, northern region of the country. It was founded in 1978, and there were many Russians among its early planners and residents. It is situated about 30 km outside of Erdenet, one of the country's major industrial and mining hubs.

Jargalant was intended to function as a farming town to supply foodstuffs for Erdenet. After the transition from a planned economy in the early 1990's, Ulaan Tolgoi's many large, state-owned industries were privatized and unfortunately few of them remain in operation today. Now, the majority of the town's some 3,300 inhabitants are private vegetable farmers or herders. The community has one secondary school, two banks, a public hospital, and a number of other small, private businesses (including a few shops, two veterinaries, a hair salon, and a flour mill).

The Jargalant Public Hospital treats some 40-45 bed patients every month and provides services to approximately 30-35 outpatients every day and employs 22 workers. The tap water has a high mineral content and is not considered suitable drinking water unless it has been boiled. Currently, the hospital uses a small water boiler to provide water to its patients. However, these have a low capacity and break frequently, as they are subject to heavy use every day.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install an electric water purifier to provide safe, clean water for hospital patients and workers.

The purifier will be attached directly to a water pipe and thus will not need to be refilled. It will provide both hot and cold water -- an important feature in Mongolia where many people shy away from drinking cold water (and where average winter temperatures hover around -20 Celsius).

The purifier will be installed in the primary service room, which is located just next to the entrance lobby and waiting room. This location maximizes accessibility for both in- and out-patients, as well as for staff.

The purifier will be purchased from a local distributor in Erdenet. The distributor has already been contacted and will deliver and install all equipment free of charge. The distributor will also provide a brief training on maintenance and upkeep to hospital workers.

New filters will be re-purchased by the hospital for a nominal cost every 3-6 months.

Project Impact
The project will affect the some 850 people who pass through the hospital every month, including hospital staff.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Laura Alexander

Comments
This is a simple but effective solution to the problem of providing safe water to visitors and staff at the hospital.

Dollar Amount of Project
$525.00

Donations Collected to Date
$525.00

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 help of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Laura Alexander.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Laura of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Laura 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
Kayunga District is a rural district located in Central Uganda along the River Nile. The residents of Kayunga District are very ethnically diverse: There are 52 different tribes that comprise Kayunga District.

The majority of the population belongs to the Buganda Tribe of central Uganda, Banyala Tribe, and refugee populations from other East and Central African countries fleeing hardship. Most of the population earns their living through farming a variety of crops, herding livestock, and fishing along the River Nile and in Lake Kyoga located in northern Kayunga District.

Kayunga District Youth Center was established in 2006 to build District capacity in identifying and providing HIV prevention, care and treatment services to the surrounding population of Kayunga District. The objective of the youth center is to build infrastructure, capacity, and systems of local public and private partners in central Uganda to ensure sustainable, quality, comprehensive HIV and other health-related services for the surrounding communities. The Youth Center Staffs daily go to rural health centers to service the populations for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, TB assessment and referral, and malaria prevention.

The handwashing stations located at health centers throughout the District are lacking. Though handwashing is taught at health centers and stressed for clinical workers, it has become apparent that the means to keep a person’s hands clean is unavailable. Having unclean hands after using a latrine can lead to a variety of fecal to oral transmissible diseases such as cholera, typhoid, giardia and other gastro-intestinal problems which greatly affect people accessing health care who most likely already have a weakened immune system.

Project Description
This project is to build 16 handwashing stations in health centers around Kayunga District, Kayunga District Hospital, and Kayunga District Youth Center.

The handwashing stations at Kayunga District Hospital will be located at each of the three latrines as well as located in all five wards.

In addition, handwashing cards will be laminated and placed at the handwashing stations to direct proper technique. The cards will be in written in the local language of Luganda as well as English, which is the national language.

Members of Kayunga District Youth Center will go to the health centers to set up the handwashing stations as well as give health talks on the proper way to wash hands. They will also train a health official at the centers on how to give the sanitation talks.

The handwashing stations will each be comprised of a 20-liter tank on top of a metal stand. The tank will have a nozzle for maintaining a stream of water while hands are being washed. There will also be a soap shelf located on the metal stand. The laminated card will be attached to the 20-liter tank at eye level.

The health centers all have a local source of water that will be used to keep the handwashing stations full. The health officials at the different centers will also be in charge of keeping the tanks full.

The project funds will be used to buy the materials to build the handwashing stations: 20 liter tanks, nozzles, metal frames as well as the lamination fee for the hand washing cards.

Project Impact
This project will benefit the following people on average:

• Kayunga District Hospital:  350 people per week
• Kayunga District Youth Center:  140 people per week
• Health Center IV (2 Total):  280 people per week
• Health Center III (3 Total):  545 people per week
• Health Center II (2 Total):  270 people per week

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Rebecca Workman

Comments
This project will lead to the improvement of the hygiene of the patients and staff of the health centers as well as the children and youth using the facilities. It is designed for extremely high impact for the funds expended, and is being implemented to serve for many years to come.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative, with additional funds from the Elmo Foundation for future projects in the country.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Rebecca Workman of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Rebecca 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
Momostenango is a medium-size town in the middle of the mountains Sierra Madre, in the municipality of Momostenango, department Totonicapan.

Momostenango is full of mountains and forest. The population is about 129,878 inhabitants, and 95% are indigenous. The main language that people speak is K'iche' but many people, especially those who live close to the center, speak Spanish.

There are two seasons, the dry season, running from November to April and the rainy season, running from May to October.

EORM Choyer-Cabal is one of the ten public schools that work with the program Escuelas Saludables (Healthy Schools), a collaboration between Peace Corps and government. All of the teachers in the school are female and have a strong relationship with the community. The school lacks a consistent water supply during the six months of the dry season.

Project Description
This project is to build three tanks for storage of water at the school.

The water comes from a natural spring 13 km away. The tanks will be located on the school property, and filled by gravity through a buried pipeline, consisting of ½ inch PVC pipe.

The tanks will be built with cement, iron, sand, rocks and manual labor.

Water will be available from 5 faucets for the use of students and staff.

Skilled labor will be provided by Timoteo Avak Cuyuch, a local mason, Felipe Cuyuch Itzep, his assistant, and volunteer labor from the parents association.

The community has provided the funds for the passage over private property from the water source to the school. They have also provided the piping from the natural spring to the school.

Project Impact
Approximately 80 families, or 400 people, will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Monica Echavarria

Comments
This project makes use of an existing infrastructure and a large amount of community support to provide a reliable water supply at the school for drinking, personal and dental hygiene, cooking, and cleaning.

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 Monica Echavarria of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Monica 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
Melitopol is a city of 160,000 people, the second largest city in the Zaporizhia Oblast, and located in South Eastern Ukraine. The city was founded in 1784 by a decree of Empress Catherine II. As part of the Soviet Union, the city quickly became a major center of trade revolving around the engineering and cast iron industries. The city is also a major train transit center to Crimea.

Since the fall of the USSR, the city’s previously thriving industry has declined. Government funding for different local infrastructure, maintenance and rebuilding projects has fallen. Consequently, many buildings are in a state of disrepair or are in the processes of decay. One of the biggest challenges facing the city has to do with the poor state of the water supply and sanitation systems.

The Melitopol Cultural Center is an important element of the community. Melitopolians go to the Cultural Center often to attend the Movie Club, to see plays performed at the theatre located there, and to participate in a multitude of other activities ranging from sewing to the showcasing of art by different cultural groups in the community. The Center was constructed in1928 and many aspects of the buildings structure need to be repaired, but the most pressing issue has to do with the bathrooms.

Currently, the only bathroom is in a nightmarish condition. The bathroom has three squat toilets in poor condition, one of which is completely covered with a metal cover and another of which is nearly inoperable due to water flooding out of it when it is used. The pipe leading to one toilet partially leaks as well. A rusted metal separator is the only element that can provide privacy. Thousands of people use these bathrooms every week and they present a sanitation hazard and threaten the ability of the Cultural Center to provide activities for the community.

Currently, the bathroom has no sinks, and people do not wash their hands after using the toilet. This is unsanitary, and presents a risk of gastrointestinal illness.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install 3 new squat toilets and two sinks for handwashing. In addition, a leaking pipe in the bathroom will be repaired.

The charitable foundation Ridne Misto Melitopol will lead the project. Community participation is an integral part. Ridne Misto will provide volunteers with plumbing experience from their organization and the local administration will also provide water experts.

Community members will provide manual labor to move the materials. The Melitopol City Council will see to the maintenance of the new bathroom facilities and ensure the sustainability of the project.

The first stage involves the plumbers removing the old broken squat toilet structures. The second stage will involve fixing the leaking pipe by replacing the broken part of the pipe structure. The third stage will be the installation of the three new squat toilets by the plumbing experts. The final stage will be the construction of the two new sinks where the old ones used to be located.

Project funds will be used to purchase the three new squat toilets, a new pipe and two new sinks. The remainder of the funds will be used to pay for the professional labor on the project.

Project Impact
The project will improve sanitary conditions at the Cultural Center for 1,000 individuals per year as well as for the 20 staff that work there.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
William Toerpe

Comments
This is a critical project to provide for the health and wellbeing of the hundreds of people who attend activities at the center each day.

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 William Toerpe of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by William 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.