PENNEWB

Background

During the rainy season, villagers use small creeksto wash themselves, their clothes and their live-stock. Unfortunately, these same contaminated creeks are tapped to provide drink-ing and cooking water. Additionally, this creeks are only available for part of the year – during the dry season there is no nearby supply, forcing people, especially women and children, to travel for over 45 minutes to find water. Beyond access to potable water, the villagers also lack proper sanitation infra-structure, with all households using unhygenic shallow latrines.  This directly affects the community’s ability to participate in economic and social activities through a healthy lifestyle.

The Need

The remote village of Gundom, perched on a ridge on the edge of the Bome Valley in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, is currently unable to meet the basic water needs of its residents. Consisting of only thirty households that rely on subsistence agriculture, the village is one of the poorest in the region. 

The EWB-USA Response

Assessment

January 2009: A small team of PennEWB members and two advisors traveled to Gundom to:

·         Acquired GPS mapping data to determine feasibilities of pipeline and rainwater collection systems

·         Located local suppliers for necessary building materials.

·         Established a strong working relationship and intercultural dialogue.

·         Completed a baseline health and community needs assessment.

·         Conducted tests to measure spring source water quality and determine need for filtration or treatment.

Implementation

May/June 2009: A team of 12 PennEWB members and two advisors will travel to Gundom to:

·    Design sealed spring boxes, gravity pipeline, break pressure tanks, distribution tanks and water standpipes. 

·    Travel to Cameroon with a team of 14 volunteers in May/June 2009 to help with construction of the spring box, piping and distribution tank.

·   Incorporate and design a civic education component for the trip to share with the community about system operation and maintenance, sanitation, and safe hygiene practices

What was done:

Preliminary assessments have been completed by the Philadelphia Global Water Initiative (PGWI).  Baseline health surveys were conducted to determine demographics and domestic water usage data. Relationships have been fostered with the local NGO through a previous PennEWB water project in the adjacent villages.

Following up

By partnering with the Gundom community, PennEWB aims to provide a plentiful supply of potable water that will be available year-round. We intend to do this by protecting two existing springs and channeling their water to a storage tank. From this tank, distribution lines will be laid to reach each household. Due to the unique topography of the village, the gravity-assisted distribution from the storage tank may not reach all households. A sustainable treadle-pump system may be constructed for households on the periphery of the community.

Moving Forward

The construction of this water system will be the first phase of a larger project that addresses water and sanitation needs for 11 villages in the Bome valley, where Gundom is located. This will be achieved through construction of sustainable water systems coupled with a long-term health and hygiene education and intervention program to augment the beneficial effects of a clean water supply.

This project also represents a natural progression from our last project in the village of Kob, which is located just over the summit from Gundom. 13 students from PennEWB worked with the community members to design and construct a gravity-fed water system in January 2008. We will be working with the same regional partners for the Gundom project, and our experience in the region will be a tremendous asset that will ensure the long-term sustainability of this water system.