Consider Donating to My Grant Project: Bring Running Water to My Clinic!

September 29, 2019

Finally after months of discussions, research and proposal writing, I have the chance to bring a grant project to the village. This opportunity allows the community to physically develop and allows for my friends and family back home in the United States to help my Togolese friends and family.

The goal is to raise $3,163.11. The local community here in Togo has agreed to raise $839.42 as part of the required minimum of 25% community contribution. I am asking for $2,323.69 from the people back home. I have hyperlinked the donation page at the top and bottom of this post.

Here is a snapshot of my grant proposal:

Rachel was exhausted after several hours of labor. She, her husband and mother had come seven kilometers from their village to the clinic where she had just given birth to a baby girl. She wanted to bring the baby home, but before returning, she wanted to clean the buckets and clothes dirtied during labor. She and her mother used the clinic’s well, drawing up bucket after bucket of water from the nine-meter deep well. They resorted to drawing the water themselves because the faucets in the clinic are broken and the running water that is supposed to supply the clinic no longer flows. After her exhausting and prolonged labor, the work put into drawing water, and the expense of traveling to the clinic, Rachel questioned coming to the clinic in the first place. She reflected on things that could be done to make the process easier, that may motivate her to come back for her next birth.

This small grant aims to repair the existing well at the clinic as well as replace the water tower and tank which supply running water to the clinic. The clinic currently has four broken sinks and faucets, a broken water tower, a missing water tank, and a working well. The goal and outcome of this project is to have a fully functioning water tower that supplies water to the clinic. The hope is to restore the sinks in the clinic and add two water faucets outside on either side of the clinic which will supply running water to the clinic staff for washing hands, washing rooms, and washing and sanitizing equipment as well as supply running water to women who are staying in the maternity ward. Fixing the water system will provide easy access to water so that staff and patients can easily wash their hands, wounds, and medical equipment. The goal of this grant is to improve the clinic’s levels of hygiene and sanitation and that of clinic patients, clinic staff, and laboring women. Better conditions at the clinic will motivate more women to give birth there rather than at home.

After living in this village for over a year, I have seen firsthand how and why having running water in the clinic is a necessity. When women come in to give birth at the clinic, it is an intricate process. The steps leading up to the birth and the birth itself do not require much water, but the moments right after the birth and a few hours later are critical times of water use. Right after giving birth, the midwife will clean off and wipe down the new mother with antibiotic soap, which needs to be mixed with water to be effective. Once the mother is clean and dressed, she is moved to an overnight/observation room with her baby. While she rests with her newborn, the midwife, with the help of the woman’s family, cleans the labor room and medical equipment extensively. Bleach and antibiotic soap are combined with water to wipe down the birthing table, the floor, and the equipment. This process uses a large amount of water, and the water comes from a medium-sized, covered bucket that sits in the labor room and is filled every other day by the clinic staff. A few hours later, after the mother and newborn have rested, the family members will start to clean the buckets and cloths in order to bring home clean and sanitized buckets and the new mom can wear clean clothes back home. As I mentioned, the new mother and her family members drawn the water themselves.

The question of sustainability and the idea of how to ensure that when the water tower or well breaks that there will be resources to fix it are at the forefront of this project. In order to sustain this project and build capacity, a water committee dedicated specifically to this well and water tower will be formed. The members of the water committee will develop management and leadership skills, and they will be the primary work partners in this project—they will be in charge of overseeing the project budget, timeline and implementation. In this way, when the water system breaks, the water committee will already know the system well and will have the confidence to fix any problems. Also, the clinic has suggested and agreed to open a savings account to save money for when the water system breaks. The clinic has agreed to add a specified amount each month to the savings account, and the midwife and nurse have agreed to add a specified fee for each birth in the clinic which will be added to the savings account. In terms of building the capacity of community members, the community health workers, the nurse and I will hold multiple health talks on hygiene and sanitation for the communities the clinic serves.

Tax deductible donations can be made through the Peace Corps website. If excess funds are raised, those funds will go to other Peace Corps projects throughout the world. Please consider helping my friends in Togo! Thank you.