Location
Gouniang, Senegal
Community Description
Gouniang is a rural community located 250 km northeast of Tambacounda, 15 km southeast of Bakel, and 3 km from the border of Mauritania. It consists of approximately 1000 residents, most of whom are descendants of the Pulaar ethnic group.
The village participates in subsistence farming, and does an admirable job at reaching food needs during the short rainy season.
There is a recently-completed NGO-funded water dam, enabling a longer farming period in a community-shared field close to the village.
The Peace Corps has been present since 2002, with a succession of sustainable agriculture volunteers. The volunteers have participated in Peace Corps Senegal’s seed distribution program, which gives improved varieties of local staple crops to villagers with hopes of creating an improved, sustainable seed collection in the village.
The village also boasts a highly-successful women’s community garden which produces admirable amounts of vegetables and field crops in the corresponding seasons.
There is a well already in place in the garden, which serves the hectare-sized area for the approximately 70 women who maintain plots.
Some time ago, a hand pump had been installed in the well, enabling the women to fill a large cement basin for easy access to water for the garden. The pump has since fallen into disrepair and is no longer functional.
Project Description
This project is to repair the pump and restore the water supply used for irrigation in the women’s community garden.
Project funds will be used to purchase the necessary parts, including a new chain and pump handle. The repair work will be done by skilled local workers.
Project Impact
This project will directly benefit about 300 people, composed of the 70 women who work in the garden and their families who live in 50 households. The entire community of 1000 people will indirectly benefit through the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables raised in the garden.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Ethan McClelland
Comments
The simple repair of the nonfunctional pump restores the well to full usefulness for the benefit of the community.
The project will greatly reduce the work needed to provide water for the crops raised in the community garden. It will make the garden much more productive for the families participating.
Dollar Amount of Project
$400.00
Donations Collected to Date
$400.00
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 Peace Corps Volunteer Ethan McClelland of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Ethan and/or those of his counterpart PCVs in Senegal.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.