I need to raise $8766 before we can begin work on the project.
Sina Danfakha, Diakhaba
The project will help four farmers from different villages install year-round water sources and effective irrigation systems in their fields, allowing them to improve food security and increase annual income. They will serve as demonstration farmers for the entire greater community
Context
For those of you who don’t know, I have been spending my last eighteen months serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kedougou, which is in the southeastern corner of Senegal. Despite the fact that Kedougou receives more annual rainfall than the rest of the country, it remains one of the poorest regions due to untapped water sources.
El Hadj Fawa Mady Danfakha, Sanela
The Project
I want to install irrigation systems with four different farmers to allow them to irrigate their trees and garden year round. Currently, the unreliability of their water source and the labor hours of hauling the water to their workspace restrict the amount of work the four farmers can do.
With the help of a professional digger, we will install wells in three of the orchards – one farmer already has a well – and then we will build small water towers adjacent to the wells, with a locally made hand pump to get the water into the towers. One hundred meters of hose will allow the farmers to water even the most distant trees, and to garden in multiple sites.
I have already identified these farmers as the best and most motivated in their respective villages, and they are excited to work as extension agents themselves, helping other people in their villages establish orchards and gardens, using their own as a demonstration plot.
The farmers themselves will be contributing 10% of the project costs in cash, which is a monstrous sum for them. The other 15% will come in the form of an in-kind contribution. They will be providing four men to work for fifteen days digging the wells. They will be collecting and transporting all the sand and gravel needed for the cement work on the wells. They will be constructing the tables to hold the basins for the water tables with locally found materials.
Donations for this project will help establish four highly productive fields, rich in both fruit trees and vegetable gardening, allowing local farmers to not only increase their food security, but also to being to meet a rising demand for produce from international mining companies that have begun work in the area. Donations will provide year-round water sources and irrigation systems for farmers who have shown their ability to benefit from them, and who can inspire and help farmers also interested in increasing their productivity and moving beyond subsistence farming.
Cissé Mady Singoura, Faraba
Donating
Many people have been asking me how they can help with the work I’ve been doing over here, and this is the perfect opportunity. It is a well-planned project that will make a difference for years to come.
I know the economic downturn has left many people strapped for cash, but please donate if you are able and help significantly improve the quality of life in these four communities. Please help me in spreading the word to as many people as possible by contacting any organizations or community groups that may be interested. Ask your book clubs (Mom), your co-workers, or your softball teams to help. I will be taking photos throughout the entire project and posting them to my blog so you can see your donations in action.
All donations (tax deductible!) can be made easily online at the link below:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-118
Thank you in advance to everyone that helps with this.
Sadio Mady Keita, Pondala
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