Water and Hygiene Education

From Peace Corps Wiki

Template:Project HELP Water and Hygiene Education
Community Name:	Boukoumbe
Country:	Benin
Volunteer(s) Name:	M Gallagher
Volunteer(s) Homestate:	New_York
Funds community contributed:	2, 644.00
PPCP #:	680-097
Year of project approval:	2003
Projects started in Benin 2003 (5).
Gouka Well Construction, Malanville Sports Center, Revitalizing Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Training Center, Textbooks for Students, Water and Hygiene Education
Other Projects in Benin (21).
Abomey Secondary School Renovation and Addition, Ballin' in Benin, Construction of Food Processing Center, Craft Workshop for Women's Local Language Literacy School, Girl's Leadership Camp, Girls Leadership Camp, Girls' Internships, Gouka Well Construction, Library Book Project, Library and Computer Center, Literacy Initiative, Malanville Sports Center, Program for the Eradication of Informality Among Artisans, Rent the Books, Revitalizing Agricultural - Animal Husbandry Training Center … further results
Other Projects by Volunteers from New_York (36).
Bafilo Radio Station Project, Bantay Dagat Outpost, Jennifer Bartimole, Brick Oven Health and Food Preparation Project, Building Hope Through Basketball, Business Education, Camp H.E.A.L., Ceramic Stove Project, Charentsavan Business Education and Resource Center, David Cohen, College Entertainment System, Community Recreation Area, Computer and Library Access, Computers for Martin Luther King Jr School in Kpalimé, Computers for Martin Luther King Jr School in Kpalimé … further results
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Info about the Water and Hygiene Education

The majority of the population of Boukoumbe gets their drinking water from wells, many of which are old and decrepit. The water in these wells is dirty, literally brown or gray, and contaminated often with floating trash, visible bugs and microbes, and many people are getting sick due to consumption of this water. While the people appreciate the necessity of water, they do not understand the link between their behavior, the contamination of water, and the illnesses they get. Contamination of a water source is usually caused by human actions, most specifically poor hygeine practices. The wells in Boukoumbe have never been treated or cleaned, and potable water is becoming an increasing problem. Ninety percent of cases of diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal worms, guinea worm, typhonid and other illnesses are caused by the consumption of contaminated water. This is a very serious problem, particularly for children where diarrhea is the largest cause of death. The people of Boukoumbe have expressed a desire to improve these conditions through educational trainings that will give them a better understaning of the actions and steps needed to eliminate health risks and improve the quality of their water supply. With the collaboration of the NGO Alpha and Omega, a group which has recently completed an education project in other villages, we wish to initiate a project working with the communities who use 10 local wells, which serve at least 15,000 people. In edition to the education program, these wells will be emptied, cleaned and refurbished with covers, pulleys, and a permanent bucket. A committee will be established for the ongoing maintenance of the wells so that correct cleaning and hygenic behavior will become an ongoing part of healthy lifestyles in the future. After the cleaning of the wells, the committee will treat the water to remove microbes and will reforrest the area surrounding the wells. Communities will contribute labor and masonry and some of the nece