Reduce Infant Mortality (VMI-KWB)
Donation protected
Virginia Military Institute students involved in the group Keydets Without Borders (VMI-KWB) are raising funds to procure a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation. If successful with this $70,000 fundraising effort, the Rotary will triple the grant for a total of $210,000, providing enough materials and equipment for 4-years worth of life-saving clean water and sanitation projects for rural Bolivian communities. These projects will provide more than 150 cadets the opportunity to reduce infant mortality in the Potosi region of Bolivia by more than 55%, and consequently save more than 2,000 lives. We need your help to make this happen!
The village of Pampoyo, located in the western Andes region of Bolivia, currently suffers from a multitude of preventable illnesses due to improper health and sanitation practices. Many members of the community suffer from vital organ bioaccumulation of heavy metals; a result of consuming surface waters contaminated with heavy metals such as copper, lead and silver.
Although much advancement has been made in the area of safe drinking water consumption in Bolivia, the community of Pampoyo still lacks proper sanitation facilities such as showers and latrines. In fact, more than 80% of the residents of Pampoyo have never had the privilege of a shower and current community practice is open defecation on agricultural lands or within nearby surface waters. This practice has resulted in widespread contamination issues, illnesses such as diarrhea, and contaminated crops, and also leading to high infant mortality rates (>62%).
The community now requires the implementation of eco-latrines, solar showers and sanitation education to further improve their overall standard of living, and reduce the frequency of preventable illness. Project goals to be accomplished include:
• Procurement of spring water source for delivery of clean drinking water to community of >350 people
• Design and construct a 10,000-liter catchment basin structure for pre-sedimentation of source water
• Design and construct a 6,000-liter sedimentation basin for pre-storage and settleable solids removal
• Install 20,000-liters of storage capacity to ensure continuous flow and emergency flow of clean drinking water at all times and in event of emergency for pre-storage and settleable solids removal
• Install 25,000-linear feet of 1.5-inch HDPE pipeline for conveyance of clean drinking water and water supply for shower/latrines
• Design and construct 86 combination “pipe-in-bottle” solar shower/eco-latrines (one for each home), capable of 30-minute sustained 150-degree shower, with dry-basin eco-latrine design and grey water disposal
• Collaborate with Universidad Cátolica Bolivia (La Paz, Bolivia) to develop a graduate/undergraduate water resources research program, developed by Dr. Tim O. Moore (KWB Advisor), that will research sustainable global water and sanitation practices, teaching multiple generations of Bolivian students how to develop life-saving systems similar to the one outlined in this grant (teaching Bolivians to help Bolivians).
We need your help, please support our mission if you can. If you require additional information about this project, please don't hesitate to contact us.
The village of Pampoyo, located in the western Andes region of Bolivia, currently suffers from a multitude of preventable illnesses due to improper health and sanitation practices. Many members of the community suffer from vital organ bioaccumulation of heavy metals; a result of consuming surface waters contaminated with heavy metals such as copper, lead and silver. Although much advancement has been made in the area of safe drinking water consumption in Bolivia, the community of Pampoyo still lacks proper sanitation facilities such as showers and latrines. In fact, more than 80% of the residents of Pampoyo have never had the privilege of a shower and current community practice is open defecation on agricultural lands or within nearby surface waters. This practice has resulted in widespread contamination issues, illnesses such as diarrhea, and contaminated crops, and also leading to high infant mortality rates (>62%). The community now requires the implementation of eco-latrines, solar showers and sanitation education to further improve their overall standard of living, and reduce the frequency of preventable illness. Project goals to be accomplished include:• Procurement of spring water source for delivery of clean drinking water to community of >350 people• Design and construct a 10,000-liter catchment basin structure for pre-sedimentation of source water
• Design and construct a 6,000-liter sedimentation basin for pre-storage and settleable solids removal
• Install 20,000-liters of storage capacity to ensure continuous flow and emergency flow of clean drinking water at all times and in event of emergency for pre-storage and settleable solids removal
• Install 25,000-linear feet of 1.5-inch HDPE pipeline for conveyance of clean drinking water and water supply for shower/latrines
• Design and construct 86 combination “pipe-in-bottle” solar shower/eco-latrines (one for each home), capable of 30-minute sustained 150-degree shower, with dry-basin eco-latrine design and grey water disposal
• Collaborate with Universidad Cátolica Bolivia (La Paz, Bolivia) to develop a graduate/undergraduate water resources research program, developed by Dr. Tim O. Moore (KWB Advisor), that will research sustainable global water and sanitation practices, teaching multiple generations of Bolivian students how to develop life-saving systems similar to the one outlined in this grant (teaching Bolivians to help Bolivians).
We need your help, please support our mission if you can. If you require additional information about this project, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Organizer
Tim Moore
Organizer
Lexington, VA