About the Peace Corps Partnership Program

Boure Well Project

For our 2001 project the Corcoran International Relations Club will help fund the building of a well in Boure, Niger in West Africa. Boure is a village of about 150 people. The village has about 46 households that have no electricity or running water. During the last dry, season the village ran out of water. The people of Boure live by farming millet, beans, groundnuts, and sorghum. They also make ropes and mats from palmetto leaves.

The present wells in Boure are shallow and are dug by men until they hit water. Once they do, the wells are lined with the trunks of palm trees. The wells are at ground level and are a muddy mess. Animals are brought to there to drink which contaminate the water with fecal matter once it has filtered though the soil. Mosquitoes breed around the standing water of the well which increase the threat of malaria.

By building this well we will be able to ensure a stable, sanitary, accessible, and a permanent source of water for the people of Boure. The well will be built by the government agency OFEDES (The Office for Underground Water Sources) which is known throughout the country and four men from the village who will help the mason while other laborers haul materials, mix and pour cement. The well will be dug five meters deep and lined with thick cement rings to prevent caving. A cement bib will then be built around the opening with a cement platform encompassing it to prevent standing water. To reduce the amount of sand and dirt particles from entering the bottom of the well a gravel filter will be put at the base.

The total cost of the well is $4,428. We need to raise $3,000. The village will provide $1,055 which is 32.25% of the total cost. The villagers will also be providing the gravel, sand and water need for construction and the workers. The building of this well will increase the health of all and the water will not have as much contamination. The cement walls have been proven to benefit the environment throughout Niger so there will be no detrimental impact on the environment.

Liz Marcy

This is the 18th annual Corcoran High School/Roberts Elementary School Peace Corps Partnership Project. Since 1985, projects have been funded through the sale of student drawn notecards. Over $75,000 has been raised since 1984 through the sale of notecards and Peace theme T-shirts. These efforts have been recognized by The Today Show, Social Education Magazine, the Yomiuri Shimbun (Tokyo), Voice of America, React Magazine, Peace Corps Times, and Central New York Magazine. In 1992 we received the Outstanding Partners for Peace award from President Bush. In May 1994, Peace Corps Director Carol Bellamy visited us on the 30th anniversary of the Peace Corps Partnership Program. In September 1996, Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan visited Corcoran to honor us for our 13 years of involvement.

Corcoran students who are members of the International Relations Club which coordinates PCP activities, also present workshops about the Peace Corps Partnership Program and their current projects. They also teach about the culture of the village with whom we are working to the students at Roberts Elementary School.

"Making A Difference... One Village At A Time:"