one peace corps volunteer's journey into the warm heart of africa

Sunday, August 28, 2011

another way to help

Progress on the clinic is continuing to exceed my expectations. I have not been able to visit the shelter for almost two weeks now since I've been away from site helping with a business camp, but when I was last there the builder was putting on the metal sheets for the roof. I believe that now they are finished with the roof and are currently working on putting cement on the floors as well as plastering the walls. Every single day the community is out there doing the labor to get it all done.

One of the challenges we have faced so far is that our budget did not inlude some key items that we need. This is because we were trying to make the budget to be as low as possible and also because we did not anticipate that we would need certain materials. Also, the budget was created last year and due to inflation, the current fuel crisis, and rising prices we have faced a deficit and therefore some of the things we purchased were a bit more than we had budgeted for.
I know I have bugged pretty much everyone I know for money, and yes, I am doing it again (sorry!). So maybe for all of you who wanted to give for the clinic the first time but were not able to, here is another chance. Unfortunately since the grant has closed it is not possible to give through the Peace Corps website anymore. Therefore I think the best way to give is through PayPal. It's quick, easy, and will go right to me. It won't be tax-deductible but I will be able to show you where every dollar will go to. Here's a list of the things we need...

1 table and 1 chair - $2.40
Ant Repellant - $12.10
Door - $12.10
Door Frame - $12.10
Paint (5L) - $21.20
Locks - $9
Water Paint - $21.20
Hand washing facilities (2) - $18.20
Water taps (2) - $7.30
Drug Shelves - $18.20
Curtains - $7.30
Plastic basins (2) - $6.70
TOTAL = $147.80

So there it all is. We underestimated paint, decided to put a door and locks in the front of the building for security purposes, and want to build two handwashing facilities at the toilets to encourage hygiene and sanitation, and a couple other small items. And to do these things we need your help. Yea, the project is going well and we are almost finished, but I know that having these extra materials will help it to be that much better. So, if you want to give you can easily do it by clicking on the PayPal button below. Thank you all!