2016
Total Donated in 2016: $7,299.44
November- total $3,099.44
$2,229.44 - Benin Classrooms & Latrines for Girls Project
$870.00 - Ghana Clinic Renovation Project
A dilapidated clinic in a rural community in Ghana serves as the health center for individuals who are suffering from minor illnesses to women giving birth. Because there is no place to lodge, the women walk long distances both day and night to give birth in a clammy room on a table that has corroded. Consequently, because of the physical risk, it is favorable for most women to deliver on the floor. At the conclusion of the project, the community will have a new and improved health facility which will include lodging, maternity room for baby deliveries and treatment rooms. The objective of this project is to enhance the health clinic to better serve three villages. There are three community health nurses and one midwife who serve the clinic.The chief of the village was very passionate about building a clinic. Unfortunately, while the chief was working on the budget for the clinic, the chief suddenly fell ill and in route to the hospital, he passed. Before his sudden demise, the chief arranged for households to take weekly shifts to contribute to the labor to complete the clinic. Thus, the community will contribute the land and labor for the new clinic.The project will also create a place where ill patients and women who are scheduled to deliver can have a safe place to receive health care. Currently, individuals in this predicament have to walk very long distances to and from the clinic each day until they give birth.
March- total $2,200
$1,100.00- TOGO Community Water Pump at Hospital
In our community newborn babies are washed with water from the river which leads to dermatological infections. The midwife washes women's birth canals with this same dirty water which causes elevated rates of sexually transmitted infections. Women make money by preparing the local fermented drink, but they are forced to use water from the river, which in turn makes the community suffer from diarrheal diseases and stomach problems. At the market, women prepare food but there isn't enough water to insure good hygienic standards. At the school, girls go more than a mile to find clean water, but they can't carry enough to aliment all the students. The children don't have enough water to drink or to wash their hands. The water pump at the hospital would serve three vital sectors of the community: the hospital, the market, and the school. Our pump would help them battle communicable diseases. The community is committed to the maintenance of the pump, as well as showing their pride through landscaping and upkeep. They have raised a significant amount of money through creative measures to make this pump a reality.
$1,100.00- ZAMBIA Community Hammermill
Community Contribution is 26%. The community has been cultivating cassava as the staple food for many years. The introduction of maize in the area has brought a major need for a hammer mill, as the closest one is 20 kilometers walk away. Funding for girls education is not a major priority in the area, but with this hammer mill it will be able to sponsor girls in secondary school and prove to families that education is important for females. This project will also bring income to the community, giving families the opportunity to provide for themselves in sustainable ways. The procurement of a hammer mill for the local community will not only enable community leaders to sponsor 10 girls in secondary school every year, but it will also enable them to implement small loan projects. Community members will be able to borrow money from the mill and invest it in income generating activities and then pay the loans back. This will give the community the opportunity to access funding to start small business as well as put a focus on girls education, motivating parents to keep their daughters in school. This will also give the community long lasting business and planning skills, teaching financial planning and goal setting. The community will build the space for the hammer mill as well as operate and distribute funding where needed. This will bring income to the community as well as allow villagers to invest in new businesses, as well as put a larger emphasis on girl's education. A committee has already been formed to monitor this project, and they have written up this project proposal.
May- total $2,000
$1,319.57 in Memory of Tim Ahrens and $500 (total $1,819.57)- THE GAMBIA Water Initiative
During my community assessment at the beginning of my service, every compound I visited (30 compounds total) reported the water deficit being their highest priority. The Water Initiative Project will build a new borehole for the village, and reduce the amount of time girls and women in the village spend each day walking to clean water sources. According to current statistics, Population below international poverty line of US $1.25 per day (%) 2007-2011 is 33.6% with a shared household income (%) 2007-2011, poorest 40%, is 14% (UNICEF, 2013). The grant funding of The Water Initiative Project will allow a substantial financing (almost 70% of the cost of the project) to support the construction of the borehole and pipe network. The community has contracted a service provider, raised a deposit, and secured an agreement with the company to pay the remaining balance on an installment basis that will ensure the community is able to meet their obligation.
The new water system will include a newly dug borehole, increased solar panels, and a pipe extension to ensure that all compounds have access to clean water. The main objectives of this project are to reduce time fetching water and/or waiting at the existing tap, increase water quality at the standing borehole, increase water capacity to serve the entirety of the community by the addition of another borehole, to permit supplementary time for girls to go to school early, as well as, gain additional time to study after school hours.
The specific objectives include: (I) To contribute towards improving access to quality education for girls in the community through improved water facilities. (ii) To enhance health care status of the members of the community particularly for children under five and school going children. (iii) To contribute towards diversification of the livelihood sources for women in the community.
The projected outcomes of the this updated system will include, but are not limited to: (i) Improvement in the time spend by women and girls collecting domestic household water, (ii) Increase in time for girls to study and for women to involve in other economic livelihood activities, (iii) Decline rates of diarrheal episodes among children to improve school attendance, (iv) Double the domestic water supply, (v) Increase annual saving of the families and to direct earnings on female education, a gender that is more disadvantaged when compared to its male counterpart in the household.
Sustainability is the main stake of this project. The village council will form a water committee that will implement collection, recordings, and documentation of water system related activities. In addition, the community is responsible for providing heads to all the taps to ensure that pressure within the pipe system is maintained. Likewise, the village is required to pay a deposit of at least 25% of the total cost by general collection methods. Once the system is installed, the committee will charge 10 dalasi per person every month.
This project has been designed to expand access to education for girls in The Gambia as part of the Let Girls Learn Program. Learn more at letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov. Your contribution increases the impact of Ms. Hatlevig, her fellow Peace Corps Volunteers and their communities; and makes a brighter future possible for young women in The Gambia.
$180.43 in Memory of Tim Ahrens- MALAWI- Rumphi CDSS Girls Toilets
The local Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) has noticed a problem with high absenteeism of girls at the school. A major contribution to the absenteeism was found to be the lack of appropriate bathrooms for the girls to use causing them to miss 4-5 days of school each month when they are on their period. Added up this means that girls are missing around 2 months of school each year. This absence is reflected in the low pass rate of girls on the national exams. To combat girls absenteeism CDSS plans to build sanitary toilets and washrooms for the girls at the school. The community will contribute bricks, stones, and sand for the construction of the toilets as well as providing members to construct the toilets. Along with the toilets the Mother's Group will provide training at the beginning of the year about how to properly take care of yourself during your period. It is our hope that the addition proper toilets and washrooms to the school will greatly reduce the absenteeism of girls at CDSS and therefore increase their exam scores and help more girls move forward with their education.
This project has been designed to expand access to education for girls in Malawi as part of the Let Girls Learn Program. Learn more at letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov. Your contribution increases the impact of Ms. Dehond, her fellow Peace Corps Volunteers and their communities; and makes a brighter future possible for young women in Malawi.