Water and Sanitation Committee - Potential Future Projects

I have previously described the PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation) series of formations I began with my village's Water and Sanitation Committee February 11th. Since that time, over the course of fifteen meetings, we completed the series on May 2nd.

The formations resulted in the village Water and Sanitation Committee members identifying needs in their community and potential projects to alleviate these needs. My intention at this stage is to build further capacity in the community by assisting them in raising all required funds in-village, not through funding proposals. The following is a list of the potential projects, of varying difficulty, that we have begun planning:

• Construction of Trash Collection Areas
• The intent is to hold a village-wide meeting to inform the villagers of the importance of their construction, as at the moment trash is simply thrown in piles, in the fields, or along the road. The wind, therefore, blows trash all throughout the village, posing a major sanitation concern. We intend on showing them how to construct simple bins made of walls about four feet high with mud bricks. This is the type of construction that is used for all of the houses in the village, so the knowledge is already there. Each concession/ section of the village would be responsible for constructing their own.
• Construction of Water and Sanitation Facilities at the School
• This project includes the construction of separate 'ɲɛgɛnw' (latrines) for men and women, hand-washing stations, and a drinking water well. Currently, there are no such facilities whatsoever near the site, and kids must use the surrounding millet fields as a bathroom.
• Construction of Well Covers for Existing Village Drinking Water Wells
• All of the existing drinking water wells within the village are uncovered. Although we now have two functioning pumps which the majority of the village now uses for their drinking water, wells are still frequently used. This is due to some concessions being located too far from a pump, or at certain times of the day the pump is locked to prevent damage from kids or the wait at the pump is too long. Because the wells are uncovered, food scraps, animal feathers/hair, faeces, insects, and other filth easily contaminate the water.
• Construction of New Wells within the Village and the Women's Garden
• Water is still scarce in certain regions of the village, and women constantly complain of water shortages within the garden. Constructing additional wells can help to alleviate this issue.
• Construction of a Third and Possibly Fourth Pump within the Village
• Our village is divided into four quartiers (regions), only two of which have pumps. The other two are rather far away from these facilities. The community has expressed a strong desire to build additional pumps, but unfortunately the cost of such a project is huge. The pump replacement project was feasible because the deep wells were already dug and the concrete superstructure constructed. It would be very difficult to raise such funding within village, or even through funding proposals for that matter.
• Behavioral Change and Household Hand-washing Stations
• I consider this project the most important during my Peace Corps service. It involves continued education on the importance hand-washing with soap prior to meals and following trips to the 'ɲɛgɛn,' treating drinking water with bleach, and keeping food covered to protect from contamination from flies. This will be done through, amongst other tactics, further community meetings and 'yala yala's (walk-abouts) through the community by our committee members to educate people on an individual basis.
• Included in this project is providing a free formation to village women on how to make their own soap, as well as how to prepare their own hand-washing station in their individual concessions.