Throughout my service I’ve stayed away from projects
involving money. I lived by the
thought that had I been interested in money related projects I would’ve stayed
in America where I was comfortable and sent the money from there. Instead, I decided to give two years of
my life and offer my knowledge and skills where they were needed. I felt fulfilled doing this for most of
my service until one month ago when Buba walked into my life.
Buba is known by most as Justin Spees. We were friends in San Diego and he
contacted me in May saying he’d like to come see how I have been living. After seeing pictures and posts he felt
compelled to help my community and wanted to see if there was anything he could
do to aid in the process of development.
Since I had moved to Nyakoi in August of 2012 I had
concentrated on the lower basic school and improving the teachers’ reading
skills and teaching strategies. I
had turned a blind eye to the community as a whole. Buba pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and ask the
villagers about the community’s needs.
A lengthy list was formed, however, there was one issue that stood
out.
Nyakoi Upper Basic and Senior Secondary School, where 3 of
my siblings attend, has been without running water since 2010. The solar panels that had been
providing power to pump water for the past 15 years are no longer working. Buba and I went to see the situation
for ourselves and were devastated by what we found.
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| Buba following Mr. Kinteh to see the non-working solar panels |
Mr. Kinteh, the headmaster at the school, showed us around
the school grounds. We saw
inoperable sinks, toilets that can’t be used, dried up taps, and a plot of land
that once was inhabited by banana and mango trees now dry and barren. In order to bring water to the school,
the caretaker, Lawo, pedals 200 meters and fills two large containers that he
straps to the back of his bike. He
and the other caretaker do this trip approximately 20 times a day to meet the
needs of the 449 students attending the school.
 |
| A sink where students once washed their hands |
 |
| Lawo, the caretaker, preparing his bike to fetch water |
Obviously, not having running water at a school is a
problem. Not only does it make the
caretaker’s job harder, but it also means that cleanliness and hygiene become a
problem as well. The sinks in the
classrooms that once allowed children to quench their thirst have become
storage facilities and students must exit class and miss out on learning to get
a drink. The trees that once
provided fruit that produced revenue to support the school’s needs are
nonexistent.
Understanding the issue, I can no longer turn a blind eye. Water is a basic need that everyone deserves the right to. I’m writing this to ask for your help. Below is a link to the project Buba is spearheading. It provides more detailed information and ways you can help. Our goal is to raise the remaining funds needed and make our splash by July 15th. Please remember that every drop counts.
http://www.slideshare.net/JustinSpeesMBA/nyakoi-school-water-pump-and-solar-project
http://www.gofundme.com/Nyakoi-School-Water-Pump
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the interest in this project. The link above will take you to our electronic donation site. We are already over 50% to our goal!
-Justin