Working with Water Issues: the Peace Corps in Africa
by Katy Hansen (Nigeria 67-68) 

    The Peace Corps is considered one the United States most successful
development agencies. It is a person-to-person program, and that is
perhaps why it commands support both overseas and here at home. 
Volunteers have taught those who are now leaders in the developing
world.  Most nations have welcomed the volunteers, gotten to know them
both on the grassroots level where they work and in the higher levels
of government. Here at home, legislators and constituents alike know of
someone who was a volunteer, someone who came home enthusiastic and
changed by the experience.
    In a person-to-person programs, however, it is hard to point to any
great successes in the field.  Where has progress been made?  Where are
the showcase results?  Perhaps the best that can be said relative to
the water supply and sanitation programs of Peace Corps in the last
decade is it is richer in lessons learned than in long term success. 
This holds true especially in Africa where very little seems to be
going right.
    In Africa, water and sanitation issues are intertwined with not only
human health, but the ability of people to manage, maintain and plan
their nations infrastructure.  The problems are not simple, and the
Peace Corps philosophy is to work with people to solve problems, not to
build large demonstration projects.  In working with water in Africa,
Peace Corps is working with physical infrastructure, community
organization, public works management, hygienic behavior, and, of
course, the people involved in all of the above.  In Africa, this is a
massive task.
      Peace Corps volunteers work with Africans from all walks of life - in
small rural villages, in local governments, in urban youth groups, in
schools, in small private industries.  These volunteers work in formal
projects where a number of volunteers are recruited to tackle regional
water and sanitation problems or as individuals who facilitate a
community response to identified water and sanitation needs.
Peace Corps works in 29 African countries with a total population of
over 300 million people.  Over half of these people do not have access
to clean water, and only 40% of the population have adequate
sanitation. Stagnant pools of water serve humans as well as animals.
Towns are crowded settlements without toilets or trash disposal. 
People lack the knowledge to address the situations.  These are the
issues confronted by Peace Corps Volunteers throughout the continent
every day.
        The Peace Corps has formal water and sanitation projects in nine
African countries. These include Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Cote DIvoire,
Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, and Zambia.  Peace Corps is also a
partner in the worldwide effort to eradicate guinea worm.  All Peace
Corps volunteers in ten endemic African countries are trained to combat
the worm through community education activities.
      The object of any Peace Corps project is to give communities ownership
of their work and to promote capacity-building by including host
country counterparts in training events.  Peace Corps is about people
and about how personal relationships can solve problems.
      Todd Harris in Kenya facilitated the funding of a rain catchment system
that would alleviate the local women walking long distances to procure
water for domestic use.  He trained local artisans and community
members in the construction, management and maintenance techniques of
the more than seventy water tanks that were constructed in 1995-96. 
Harris also designed and developed a system involving PCV pipe for use
as water gutters.  This system was adopted by a local NGO for use
throughout Kenya and has spread to other countries as well.
      Jenny Work in Cote DIvoire initiated a contest for Guinea worm
eradication and trained 26 school teachers on non-formal health
education methods.
      Peace Corps volunteers in Cape Verde worked on the surveillance,
analysis and treatment of water and promoted proper hygiene through an
awareness campaign.
      Peace Corps volunteers have been in Chad since 1967.  Currently they
work in rural water and sanitation, private sector water supply, and
urban water and sanitation projects.  Fred Jarman introduced a chain
and washer pump to local entrepreneurs as well as to United Nations
volunteers.  Stacey Wiles and Ayisha Owens developed a pump manual to
assist communities in maintaining pumps installed by UNICEF. Paul Nurmi
and Brock Boland conducted workshops for learning well repair.
      Peace Corps water resource management activities in Mali started in
1974 with the construction of wells for village water supply and
watering points for migratory herders and their livestock.  Presently
water projects average 30 volunteers and have expanded to a wide
variety of health and sanitation activities.  In addition, Peace Corps
assumes a lead role in the Guinea worm eradication campaign. 
Volunteers develop and disseminate education materials through area
training programs.  In 1993 Peace Corps Mali expanded into urban areas
helping with city-wide planning and logistical expertise to government,
private, and for-profit organizations.
    Over the past 10 years, 1,497 Peace Corps Volunteers have worked in
water and sanitation assignments with over half of them serving in
Africa.