Peace Corps - Project approved, and you can make a difference!

I am writing this message carrying wonderful news. My water project grant, that I have been developing with my community since March, has finally been approved by Peace Corps HQ in Washington!

Which means it's time to actually get the funds to bring this project to life. And that is where you come in to help!

Previously, with Peace Corps volunteer projects, the grant was funded entirely by the US government after receiving approval. However, due to the current administration, volunteers must now fundraise the large majority of the funds to power their community's vision. This becomes an added challenge for volunteers to surmount.

But, with the clear interest I have seen in my volunteer life from you readers, I am not so pressed at the prospects of self-fundraising!

Currently, my community faces a challenge with water access. Our sprawling community currently only has one fully functional water tap for just under 300 residents. This creates a situation where water is strenuous and time consuming to acquire; as such, households conserve the water they collect, leading to a decrease in water consumption and lower hygiene and sanitation standards. To mitigate the time to collect water, some residents source their water from unclean sources, such as runoff from fields after heavy rains, leading to consumption of unsafe drinking water. This even affects the current functional tap, which experiences a decrease in water cleanliness after heavy rains.

This water access project aims to add 10 taps to the community. This will bring the total number of fully functional taps from one to 11, vastly improving water access times and the distance to the nearest water tap. This in turn is expected increase per-household water consumption, improving hygiene standards and health outcomes in the process. In addition, the water will be sourced from a natural mountain stream, above grazing fields and uncleanly runoff sources, helping to prevent previously mentioned issues with water cleanliness.

This project is heavily supported by the community. It was actually their idea to begin with, spawned during a community meeting where we discussed possible projects. A Water Committee will oversee the project, provide maintenance, as well as facilitate education sessions on WASH hygiene practices. Community members will be involved in the necessary labor: driving materials from Maseru, building the stone reservoirs with rocks sourced nearby, and excavating the water pipe lines. I think it's critically important that you know these things, because this is not a project I thought of, or that the US government is pushing. It's community led, first and foremost.

It's worth noting that our water source is highly reliable year-round. There could be concerns that, by increasing average household water consumption, this project could cause our water supply to run dry. However, even in the driest periods of the year (mid-winter) the water spring has never ran dry in recent memory.

With all that said, I hope you strongly consider donating to help fund this project. Completion will directly improve water access for 268 residents in the community, in some cases by a massive amount.

Thank you so much for reading and considering donating. I hope to thank you individually after funding is completed (all donations are anonymous until after the goal is reached). Below is the link, once again, to the donation page.

Stay well,

Connor