Hello Everyone!
It's been so long! much has been going on in the world of Peace Corps Mali. The holidays past with a blast and i've been working extremely hard on a project for my village. At this moment, a proposal is online to ask for donations for a Latrine and Soak Pit project. The letter below describes the project and incluses a link to the PCPP --- Peace Corps Partnership Program -- if you would like to donate. Furthermore, I have written up a community assessment paper that describes the project in full detail, with information on community demographics, economics and lifestyle. If you would like a copy, please email me at hannah.d.jordan@gmail.com and I will send you a copy. Thank you so much for all your support!
Here is the link to the PCPP website:
Hannah D. Jordan
Peace Corps Volunteer Mali
Health Extension Volunteer
hannah.d.jordan@gmail.com
_____________________________________________
February 12, 2012
Dear Friends, Family and Community:
"i bora so, i nana so" -- When you leave home, you come home.
Hello! My name is Hannah Jordan and I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa. I am the first Peace Corps volunteer invited to work in Niamana-Bouncouma, a rural Malian community of about 4,500 people. I work as a health volunteer. Diseases such as giardiasis, amoebas, pink eye, hookworm and malaria constantly ravage the community, to the point where they impede community members’ ability to work and live in a socially constructive environment.
For the last five months community leaders and I have been developing a project aimed at combating the environmental factors behind some of the above diseases, specifically malaria. Malaria continues to be an epidemic in Mali. Children and older members of my community die from malaria and malaria-related symptoms every year. Fortunately, we have been able to distribute treated mosquito nets to the entire community. Unfortunately, this is not enough. Walking around my community, it is common to see pools of human waste and bathwater collecting in the streets which provide perfect breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
In order to combat this problem, during April and May we will build 36 simple pit latrines and 46 soak pits (water dispensing holes where wastewater flows and becomes distributed into the groundwater to decrease the amount of standing wastewater).
I have come here today to ask for your help. My village did their part and collected 50% of the proceeds for the project, an unprecedented feat in rural Mali. About two weeks ago, I discovered that we would not receive any funding from the Peace Corps for our project. Upon hearing this news, saying I was devastated was an understatement. Realizing that my community would not receive the funds necessary to undertake this project in which they had been working, collectively so hard for over five months, was crushing. In Mali, there is a saying, when you leave home, you come home. Niamana is my home, they are my people, and they are my family. I told myself I would do everything in my power to make sure my village receives the latrines and soak pits because they deserve them, because they deserve to be healthy, and because their children deserve to grow up in a healthy environment. This is where you come in.
If every person donates a minimum of $20 USD, we would only need 215 people to make this project a reality. There are ABSOLUTELY NO OPERATING costs. The way this works is the Peace Corps has a funding opportunity called Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP). Donations may be made to my project at http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate. Search for the Latrine and Soak Pit project under my project number, 688-369, or by my name, Jordan, and then the country, Mali. Below is the contact information for the PCPP if you would like to speak with someone at the Peace Corps office regarding the program and other methods of donating to my project:
The Office of Private Sector Initiatives
1111 20th St. NW
Washington, DC, 20526
(800).424.8580 ext. 2170
donate@peacecorps.gov
All the money that you donate will go directly to my community and is tax deductible. As soon as my PCPP monetary contributions are complete, the money will be deposited into my Malian bank account, and we can proceed with the project. It is a simple and safe procedure to give, and your donations will help to clean up an entire village in Mali, West Africa.
Our goals:
1.To build 36 simple pit latrines and 46 soak pits.
2.To paint 12-16 health and education murals on the side of the health center walls.
This project could drastically change the lives of over 4,500 people for the better. There are limitless opportunities for improvements in every sector of life when the health of a community is improved. I am doing everything in my power to make this project successful, and I cannot do it alone. I need help. Please, any monetary contribution will be appreciated. If successful, we will be building 36 new latrines and 46 new soak pits, as well as increasing the overall livelihood and health of my community.
In addition, due to the high illiteracy rate in Mali which is currently fluctuating around 71%, our community leaders asked me to paint multiple murals alongside the health center walls in order to visually convey sustainable information about washing hands, the importance of covering a latrine, and other imperative health messages. Through this project, my community and I will be painting 12-16 murals throughout the next year.
Below I have attached my “Community Assessment Grant Proposal” which will detail the entire project from community demographics to outlines on all expenses and an approximate timeline. If you have any questions, please email me at hannah.d.jordan@gmail.com. I will keep all of you in “the loop”, and send pictures and updates on the current progress once the project begins.
Thank you very much for reading my incredibly long email! Any monetary contribution amount is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Hannah Jordan
Peace Corps Volunteer Mali
Health Extension Volunteer
Hello World, Here I Come
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