Good Cause

A friend of mine sent out a call for help this morning and I figured I'd post it up here. It's not like I get a huge amount of traffic here, so I'm not sure how much this will help, but I figure it couldn't hurt. Anyway, here's how she describes the project:

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT:
The local Water, Sanitation and Development Association representing four communities is requesting assistance to construct 16 household compost latrines. For a population of 5,000 there are only two communal latrines and 36 household latrines. Therefore the majority of the community members defecate free range in and around the community. Because of this, the community dams are contaminated, the children play in fields of feces and there is a high rate of diarrhea-related diseases in the community. In fact, diarrhea is the second most reported illness at the local clinic, only after malaria. This need for latrines caused the community members to organize in water and sanitation committees and with donor assistance to implement phases one and two of the compost latrine program, through which 28 household compost latrine were built. During the course of implementing this project the four water and sanitation committees worked very well together and decided to register as a single community based organization. This third phase of the Program was suggested by the organization’s executives, who are continually approached by members of the community asking when the project will continue. (Please send an email if you would like the complete proposal/budget).

The proposal is part of the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), a program which collects funding completely through donations made by the volunteer’s friends/family.

SO HERE’S WHERE YOU COME IN! The cost of each latrine is around $530. Each household requesting a latrine will be donating 40% of that cost ($212), so we are requesting $318 per latrine, plus other logistic expenses. The total amount being requested for 16 household latrines is $5,312.08. Any donation is accepted!

TO DONATE: On the Peace Corps webpage (www.peacecorps.gov), go to “Donate now” on the left-hand side of the screen. Then choose “Donate to Volunteer Project.” A new page will come up that asks for specific project information. The easiest way to find the project is to simply type the project number, 641 246, in the "Keyword Search" box.

Here is the other specific information for my community’s project:
Project Title: Compost Latrine Program
Volunteer: Lee S.
Region: Africa
Country: Ghana
Home State: GA
Project Number: 641 246
Amount Requested: $5,312.08 (it may be misquoted as $8,811.80 online, but this includes the 40% the community will contribute)

Any donation, big or small, will go a long way to improving the health and lives of people in my community.

So, if you can contribute or know anyone else who might, I'm sure all help will be appreciated.