Location
Boca Del Monte, Ngöbe-Bugle, Panama
Community Description
Boca Del Monte is a community of about 500 people in the Comarca of Ngöbe-Bugle of Southwestern Panama. The community has a school that goes up to 8th grade, which had a 2010 enrollment of around 350 kids from Boca Del Monte and 5 other surrounding communities.
During the dry season in the community, which spans from January through May, the majority of the people and the students and teachers at the school do not receive water in their faucets. They are forced to grab buckets and fetch water from a contaminated stream located about 50 meters down and up some steep terrain.
The current aqueduct serves the community well between June and December. However, to improve the aqueduct to serve well also during the dry months, work on the aqueduct system is required.
Project Description
This project is to improve Boca Del Monte´s aqueduct system by constructing 3 small cement tanks to serve as receptacles and depressurizing agents for the water flow.
Two of the tanks will cover 2 new ¨hojas de agua¨ the community members wish to add to the current aqueduct system. The third tank will serve as a place where 3 merging tubes, from 3 separate hojas de agua, will collect, depressurize, and send off in one solo tube that eventually connects up with the main aqueduct tank.
The project will be located in a place on the outskirts of Boca Del Monte that has one of the uppermost altitudes the community. It is an estimated 200 meters from the current aqueduct and at an altitude of about 30 meters higher than the current aqueduct, which lies about 180 meters higher than the lowest point in the community.
Project funds will be used to purchase materials, including 30 sacks of cement and 30 pieces of 1.5-inch tubing. Remaining funds will go toward transportation, with the community paying for the balance. The community will also provide other supplies, such as sand and gravel for the cement mix, and tube connectors.
Under the direction of the Community Aqueduct Committee, the villagers will provide all of the labor. Various participants in previous aqueduct construction possess the necessary skills to carry out all of the tasks.
Project Impact
This project will benefit about 850 people, consisting of the community population of 500 and the school population of 350 (including students, teachers, and out-of-community volunteers who work at the school).
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Timothy Vanden Boom
Comments
This is an important project for a large population that depends on the aqueduct system. The improvements build upon an infrastructure that currently only provides for seasonal needs, and create a reliable and safe water source during the entire year.
There is widespread community support, thus ensuring the sustainability of the aqueduct. Substantial health benefits will accrue through the reduction in the consumption of unsafe water from elsewhere during the dry season.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust 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 Timothy of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.