Underway

Community Description
Basse Santa Su is located in the Upper River Region of the Gambia, which is the furthest region from the capital city of Bangul. Although Basse is a regional capital, it has taken many years for the inhabitants to see the development of their city. However, within the last 10 or 15 years, the residents have seen the construction of hospitals, schools, and markets, and various NGOs have posted their offices in Basse.

The city of Basse has over 15,000 people and the residents are mostly from the Fula tribe. Farming is the primary source of income, but there are also a good number of educated people who work for government offices and various NGOs.

Basse is also home of the regional governor’s office and its roads are used by Senegalese and Guinean truckers to transport goods throughout West Africa.

About five years ago the Basse Health Center opened a facility where anyone can be tested for HIV/AIDS virus free of charge. They also provide voluntary counseling for those being tested and provide at-home care for those who are living with the virus. They have recently started a support society for people who are HIV-positive in which they educate them about nutrition, medication and stigmas.

Three years ago, the hospital, in association with a local NGO, built a support center where patients can come and stay when they are receiving treatment at the health center. The house has been completed but the group members and staff are in need of proper latrines.

Presently, two poorly dug holes in the back of the house are relied upon for sanitation. However, they are not reinforced or supported, and the holes began to cave in during a heavy rainfall that occurred 2 months ago.

Project Description
This project is to build a latrine at the support center. The structure will contain two stalls, plus showering facilities. Construction will be of concrete.

Project funds will be used to pay the diggers and purchase cement, corrugate, sand, and gravel.

The structure will be built by male members of the support who will be donating their labor.

The project will be carried out under the direction of the staff of the Kebajara Support Society.

Project Impact
This project will benefit over 400 people.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Elizabeth Thompson

Comments
A well-constructed latrine will ensure a safe and sanitary place that patients and staff will be able to use for their daily functions. A hygienic facility is especially important to HIV/AIDS patients whose immune systems are already compromised.

This is the third Appropriate Projects project to be carried out by PCV Elizabeth Thompson, the first two being the Kuwonku Well Project – The Gambia and the Darsilami Mandinka Pump Project – The Gambia.

Dollar Amount of Project
$450.00

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
$450.00

Community Description
Ban Bak Bang is a rural community in the northeast province of Nakhon Phanom Thailand. The village is comprised of 176 houses/families totaling more than 850 people and is located approximately 25 kilometers from the Mekong River, which is the Thailand-Laos border.

Bak Bang is one of 12 villages in the sub-district of Piman, relatively close to the Phu Phan mountains. It is accessible only by traveling more than 4 kilometers on a dirt road. Nearly all villagers work in an agricultural field. Rice farming is the main crop, with increasing numbers of rubber trees also being planted. The terrain is largely plains, which is conducive for rice farming, but also contains many forests.

One of three kindergartens in the 12 villages of sub-district Piman is located in Bak Bang near Wat Pho Chai Sii.

The kindergarten in Bak Bang has approximately 30 students (ages 2-4) and 2 teachers. The restroom facilities are in a very poor condition. The sinks are also not appropriate for the children from ages 2 to 4.

The kindergarten is located adjacent to the grounds of Wat Pho Chai Sii. This general area is a frequent location for village meetings.

Project Description
This project is to provide all needed improvements to the restroom facilities by renovating 3 of the 8 restroom units.

One adult sized sink will be removed and sinks (one long or several individual) will be installed at an appropriate height for children ages 2-4 (approximately 40 centimeters from the floor, rather than 90+ centimeters existing today).

Project funds will be used to purchase materials for the project. The labor will be done by local villagers.

The improved bathroom facilities will help the teachers in their effort to teach good oral hygiene and sanitation principals.

The project is being carried out under the direction of the Sub-District Administrative Office (SAO) Piman, with the support of Puyaiban Sawat, the Village Leader of Bak Bang.

Project Impact
The project will benefit the 800+ adults and children of the village who regularly use the facilities. The most impact will be on the 30 students who attend kindergarten daily as well as the 2 teachers.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Anita Root

Comments
This project will allow the school to better serve the needs of the school and the community. It will instill pride and satisfaction in those helping to implement the project and the people who utilize the facilities. Proper sanitary facilities will promote better hygiene practices, thereby improving the health of the villagers.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$50.00

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
$450.00

Community Description
Guia is a town of 6,000 people in the St. Louis region of Northern Senegal. Its only school is the primary school where 400 children attend yearly. The school itself receives water from a nearby forage (hand-powered water pump). Most of the people in Guia are of the Pulaar ethnic group and speak Pulaar du Nord.

The rivers in Northern Senegal carry much schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection that comes from contaminated water. Improperly constructed latrines and a lack of faucets limit the availability of clean-water systems to the primary school students.

Currently at the school there are 4 latrines built. However, 3 of them are stopped up, clogged to the point that they can no longer be used.

Project Description
This project is to reconstruct the three latrines that are non-functional at the school.

Current plumbing will be unplugged and removed in all 4 faulty latrines. The waste pit behind the latrines will also be emptied, enlisting the aid of a hired truck to move the waste.

The plumbing will then be repaired by replacing the old pipes with larger ones and reforming the plumbing architecture to prevent the latrines from re-clogging in the future. Additionally, holes will be added to the waste storage structure behind the latrines, and pipes will be installed for ventilation.

Finally, a sink will be installed next to the 4 latrines, a necessity that the school currently lacks. In addition, minor repairs of the structure will be made.

Project funds will be used for materials, such as cement, sand, gravel, and piping, and for labor and transportation.

The work will be headed up by a local mason who is well known in the community. The school will be involved throughout the project, providing input and overseeing the construction.

The project arose out of the involvement and interest of the community and school. The village chief and the principal of the school made the initial proposal.

The project includes training and follow-up regarding the importance of using latrines rather than going to the bathroom in the river. This educational process will ensure that the new facilities will be properly used.

Project Impact
400 students and 13 teachers will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Paul Levy

Comments
This latrine improvement project will provide enough capacity to meet the sanitation needs of the school and significantly reduce the incidence of disease among the students.

The strong involvement of the community and the school, and the included educational and monitoring component will ensure sustainability.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$20.00

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
$480.00

Community Description
Boyarka is a small village about 200 km south of Kiev. It is in Cherkasska Oblast but about 5 km from the border of Kievska Oblast. (Oblasts are, for all intents and purposes, states.)

Boyarka currently has about 600 people. It used to be larger, but since the Soviet era the area has fallen on hard times. Unemployment hovers near 50%, and the only way people survive is by relying on small government stipends supplemented by food they raise on their own farms.

Many of the older, unemployed men in the village are troubled by alcoholism, which has a rippling effect on the children as well, who see their future as bleak.

With no prospects for improvement, people have stopped taking care of their environment, even though they live in beautiful area.

Littering in the community compounds this problem. There is no trash collection system, so people regularly just drop trash on the side of the road, or throw it into already started trash piles.

Waste of all type is scattered throughout the community, presenting a health hazard because of the pollution of the air and the contamination of the water.

Project Description
This project is to build up to 10 trash receptacles as needed in order to fight the growing littering and trash problem in the community. The containers will then be placed strategically throughout the village.

Project funds will be used to purchase materials to build the containers in the schools shop class. The design has been prepared, and construction can begin at once.

An education campaign will accompany the project. It will include information about the proper management of solid waste in the community.

The children will be involved by making fliers to post around the village and spreading the word about the project.

The children will set up a volunteer schedule, to be oprganized and monitored by the student council, for weekly collection of the trash and proper disposal at the nearest dump, located about 1.5 km outside the village.

Transportation of construction materials by car and/or tractor will be provided by the school’s director.

Project Impact
All 600 people in the village will benefit from the project. Included in this number are 20 student council members, who will be in charge of the campaign, and 70 kids in school who will receive sanitation training.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jeremy Borovitz

Comments
The project will decrease trash and make the village more beautiful. It will also teach the kids how to take ownership of their community and their futures.

This is a demonstration project in that the successes will be replicated in neighboring villages in the region.

The project uses appropriate technology, locally-available materials, and school and community participation and labor. It will have immediate impact on the health and wellbeing of the students and the community as a whole.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$362.00

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
$138.00