Fresh water flows
Woo-Hoo! We have have water for our Adventist school in Bangladesh!
The aim of our project has always been to create a long-term and sustainable clean water source for our Adventist School. We wanted to create a further income stream for the school by irrigating farming land adjacent to the community surrounding the school.
Stage One – Completion date October, fully funded
Upon the completion of the irrigation infrastructure works (to be completed after Monsoon Season by October 2019), and after the infrastructure is finished; farming households will also be charged according to their water usage and that income will go to the school. Work has also commenced on building a new pump house and laying pipe, but the arrival of monsoon season means construction will need to go into hiatus and resume in September 2019.
Stage Two – Fundraising Target, $58,000
In October 2019, and after further construction work is completed work will begin on diversifying crop production. We believe the new water supply means the village will no longer be solely dependent on rice cultivation. Community members will now be able to plant vegetables such as eggplants, potatoes, carrots, cauliflowers, tomatoes and onions, which have a higher demand in the market and are more profitable than rice. It is predicted that the income generated from these activities will increase from $3,333 per season to $25,667 per season – a significant income for the school, ensuring more children are able to access an education.
Stage Two will also see the establishment of a health and farming education and training program focused on healthy living, hygiene and responsible farming. Community members will participate in practical training and workshops to build their skills and capacity to diversity crop production in order to provide food security.
Further funding will also be needed to support the purchase of an additional pump for the new pump house, which will serve as a replacement in the event that main pump is out of service.
This project aims to deliver enough water for seven new fish ponds and a significant vegetable garden on the school grounds, while also providing safe drinking water to approximately 660 students and teachers, and 2000 litres per day to the surrounding community.
It is also anticipated that this new supply of water will double the income of farming families in the community, rising from approx AUD $667 per acre to AUD $1283 per acre per annum. Prior to the WHED project, farming households in the community could produce only one rice crop per year as they were solely reliant on annual rainfall during the monsoon. The irrigation infrastructure work will now enable each farming household to produce two rice crops per year, as well as provide a reliable water supply to enable crop diversification.
If you would like to donate towards our Bangladesh School Water Project so we can start Stage Two, donate here or PO Box, Wauchope NSW, 2466.
Note all donations are tax deductible.
