W

The Winant Fund

Grants for 2011

Cameroon: Local Health Center - $247.00

This grant provides partial funding for the construction of a health center in a village in northern Cameroon, intended to serve 14,000 people of 15 villages in the surrounding area. The population of the region is impoverished and the lack of infrastructure makes modern health care inaccessible. There are no paved roads and the nearest existing health center is 17 kilometers away. As a result the majority of deaths are the result of preventable and treatable diseases. Women are unable to receive prenatal care and all deliveries are performed in unsanitary conditions by untrained family members, resulting in alarmingly high infant and maternal mortality rates. Once constructed, the local health center will be integrated into the national health care system, with the government providing a budget, equipment, and health care professionals.

Dominican Republic: Community Latrine Project - $297.00

This donation to the Peace Corps Partnership Program will enable the construction of one ventilated pit-latrine for a rural farm family lacking sanitary facilities. Some of the families assisted by this project lost all of their possessions in Hurricane Noel in 2007 and have only recently finished rebuilding their houses. This part of the Dominican Republic is a principal watershed for Santo Domingo and these latrines will help prevent pollution of the capital's water supply as well as reduce the risk of disease for local children. Each beneficiary will pay around five percent of the cost and provide food, lumber, sand, and labor to help with the construction project. The adults of each family will receive training in hygiene techniques and participate in a reforestation project requiring them to replant trees to offset the lumber used in building the latrine. Peace Corps Partnership Funds will be used to buy construction materials and pay a skilled mason to ensure that the latrines are structurally safe and will last for decades.

Gambia: Well Funding for Food Security - $131.00

This project will assist a small community in the Gambia, West Africa, to develop a vegetable garden to improve local nutrition and economic well-being. The community has built a fence, provided other materials, and will contribute 25% of the monetary cost for two open wells required for the success of the garden.

Malawi: Primary Borehole Reconstruction - $375.00

The local primary school in a village in Malawi intends to repair their only existing borehole so that students will have access to clean drinking and hand washing water throughout the school day. An additional objective of the project is to increase the knowledge and skills of school committee members and local leaders so that they can be better prepared to acquire technical assistance and raise money for school projects and future maintenance. Parents and community members are asked to purchase most of the required materials and contribute their labor. This grant will assist with the purchase of the pump head and pedestal, which together account for 66% of the cost of the borehole.

Moldova: Changing Hygiene Behavior - $500.00

In a small village school in Moldova, over 600 students are supported by 49 teachers and 37 staff. The school and community strive to provide students with a healthy and safe place to learn. Unfortunately, the school is failing their students in two main aspects of their lives, knowledge about hygiene and adequate sanitation facilities for their students. This project will provide comprehensive and age-appropriate health education to the students focused on basic hygiene, and remodel four non-functioning bathrooms in the school to provide students with sanitary facilities. This will give them the opportunity to use their new skills and change their hygiene behavior. Currently the school uses outdoor bathrooms that lack lighting, ventilation, drainage, toilet paper, garbage cans, privacy, and a place for the students to wash their hands. The community has already raised 36% of the needed funds.

Morocco: Eyewear for Moroccan Youth - $300.00

Improving Morocco’s 56% literacy rate is an important goal for both the monarchy and the U.S. Peace Corps. Often in the most rural areas, youth needing corrective eye care cannot afford glasses and thus are prevented from continuing their education without extreme difficulty. This project seeks to connect an organization in the United Kingdom that produces cheap and innovative, self-adjusting glasses for needy youth with two communities of rural Morocco. Volunteers have partnered with their local Dar Chebab (House of Youth) directors and a prominent NGO to identify students in need of corrective eye care who lack the means to procure it, and these community partners have offered their support and assistance to provide screening and distribute glasses to their respective communities. This grant will purchase 20 pairs of glasses, one-sixth of the total sought for this project. As this is the first project of its type in Morocco, the volunteers will work with the community partners to document and prepare a project manual to facilitate replicating this initiative in other locations.

Peru: Inclusion Education Resource Center - $450.00

In 2008, the Peruvian government changed the law to require all children with mild and moderate special needs to be included in the regular school system. Though admirable, the change in the law was made without adequately preparing regular classroom teachers to include students with special needs. In one city, teachers are including students with special needs for the first time despite having no preparation or training. The Resource Center for Inclusion Teachers will be located at the Special Education School in the area and will allow teachers to access texts, videos, computer software and examples of successful inclusion experiences to inform their lesson plans and teaching strategies. The planning team is made up of staff from the local school department, the special education school, and a Peace Corps Volunteer. Grant funds will be used to furnish the Resource Center and purchase a computer, printer, specialized software (e.g., a program for creating picture communication systems for non-verbal children), and books on inclusion education. In addition to the tangible resources available in the center, teachers will find an opportunity to network and share ideas via an email listserv which will be moderated by Resource Center and Special Education school staff.

Ukraine: Playground for Children with Disabilities - $450.00

In a Ukrainian city with over 500 children with physical disabilities there are no suitable playgrounds with adapted equipment. This not only limits the ability of children with physical disabilities to get exercise, it also limits their opportunities to socialize with children without disabilities, leading to feelings of social isolation. This project to construct a suitable playground was conceived by two individuals working at a non-profit organization and is supported by all levels of the local government administration. The community has agreed to purchase the land, provide sand, build a fence, purchase and install benches, and provide workers for the project. In all, these contributions add up to 58% of the total cost. The playground is designed to allow disabled as well as non-disabled children access. The goal is to help these children to increase social interaction and realize their full potential, and to help adults become more aware of the challenges of the disabled and more tolerant towards their fellow citizens.

Washington, DC: So Others Might Eat - $250

So Others Might Eat has operated in our nation's capital for 40 years. It works to feed, clothe, shelter, treat, and train the homeless and poor. Over the years, it has helped thousands of people get off the streets, transform their lives, and live independently. Currently SOME feeds more than 1,000 people each day and meets other immediate needs of the homeless and poor by providing clothing, shower rooms, medical and dental care, and shelter for elderly people who have suffered abuse or neglect. It also offers affordable housing for families and single adults, addictions treatment, job training, counseling, and day programs for seniors and people with mental illness.