(Note... This was initially written in 2004)

Hello everyone!
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Kirstin Green writing you from Ghana, where 1.72 of 2.16 years in service have miraculously flown by. I have been working on getting funding to build a much-needed latrine in my community, Kumawu -Population 10,000 people, with no source of water at all. There are no flush toilets there, and worse, not too many public or private pit latrines for people to use. There is a small building that has been in disrepair for years that has been "full" for several years. There are a lot of health problems in this area: mainly parasitic worms, flies, and diseases that are transmitted by this lack of sanitation.

About five years ago an initiative to build a new latrine was begun, but after the pit was dug and the foundation wall was built, the money ran out and the project has been lying idle since then. We need to raise enough money to finish the building so that the area can be cleaned up and the community members can do their business with dignity.

We are also trying to buy a water-tank for the local clinic, in order to provide running water for the staff and patients.

My search for money has been frustrating. I wrote a grant back in September that was supposed to be a shoe-in but then was informed in January that due to budget cuts the money was simply not there, and that I would have to seek my funds elsewhere. Basically, I was expecting to get the money in January and now its April and still nothing. The grant that I ended up applying for is called a PCPP (Peace Corps Partnership Project), wherein the money requested is posted on the Internet and interested individuals are invited to contribute in part until the total is met. It is in this way Peace Corps deals with the sticky issue of contributing money directly to developing countries.

This is a view of the inside of the current latrine building. In each stall is a bucket to poop in.

Photo at the top of this page:
Myself and some community members standing between the current building and the latrine to be, provided the funding comes through.