This year, the project organized by the HUM'AM team (Humanitarian Association of Engineering Apprentices at Arts et Métiers) is taking place in Casamance, Senegal.
"We were approached by the residents of the village of Diatock in Casamance to help them rebuild a library and cultural center that had collapsed," explains Hugo Dugué-Martin, vice president of HUM'AM (Humanitarian Association of Arts et Métiers Engineering Apprentices). "They contacted us through the HUM'AM network, which has grown in Senegal following two projects carried out there in 2020 and 2022."
Identify needs
An initial assessment was carried out on site from November 25 to December 2, 2023. Hugo Dugué-Martin and Hugo Defossez, head of the HUM'AM Research Department, spent a week in the village of Diatock to analyze the needs that the association could meet.
"Diatock has between 5,000 and 7,000 inhabitants.At the end of our trip, we drew up a list of needs in order of priority," says Hugo Dugué-Martin.
During their reconnaissance, the two Hugos noticed that the nearest well to some of the village houses is a 20-minute walk away, which means carrying several heavy buckets of water back home. What's more, the water from the wells is neither clean nor filtered, which can lead to the spread of disease.
Ultimately, the list of needs covers three themes:
- Education through the reconstruction of a middle school (classrooms, practical lab, gym, restrooms), a library, and a socio-cultural center.
- Medical care with the construction of a fence around the health center to prevent animals from entering its grounds.
- Energy and water to provide access to water for the village through centralized irrigation via a borehole connected to an existing water tower or, if this solution proves too costly, the drilling of several boreholes in the most important areas of the village.
Solar panels also need to be installed. They will power various facilities and buildings: the school, the borehole, the socio-cultural center, and the health center.
Rebuild the school, connect it to water and electricity
" After this assessment, we prioritized the most important needs and built our project around these priorities," explain Hugo Dugué-Martin and Hugo Defossez. This year, HUM'AM will focus on rebuilding the school with classrooms, practical work rooms, a library, and bathrooms. We will also connect the school to water and electricity supplies. We chose to focus on the school because it is the most essential element for the village's development. If it disappears, it will leave hundreds of children without schooling, with serious social and economic consequences for the village. In addition, this project addresses the three pillars of our association: education, water, and energy.
In the coming months, HUM'AM will work on compiling the technical dossier to identify the most reliable and sustainable solutions. This will also enable us to calculate the cost of the project and launch a fundraising campaign to raise the necessary funds.
See you in September 2024 to find out how the project is progressing!
