Although our new Nehnwaa Child Survival Project in Liberia is in need of many different types of volunteers, we are especially in need of work teams to help build wells and latrines throughout the 130 villages in our project area.

Just $100 builds a latrine that will save dozens of young lives.

The current water/sanitation situation contributes greatly to child deaths and illnesses such as chronic diarrhea.

"Children will die from diarrhea in the developing world," says Curamericas Global Senior Program Specialist Ira Stollak. "But what happens even more often is that chronic diarrhea prohibits the normal development of children below the age of five, leading to malnutrition, depressed immune systems, and impeded brain development that can be irreparable."

An estimated three fourths of the more than 280,000 people in our project area do not have access to any type of latrines or bathroom facilities.

"Latrines are absolutely essential to break the cycle of fecal-oral diarrheal disease transmission, because open defecation will contaminate water sources," Stollak says.

The project is calling for volunteers to partner with local communities to help remedy this dangerous situation by building World Health Organization-sanctioned latrines. The local communities will contribute the resources to which they have access, such as sand, wood, home-made bricks, land, and manual labor. Volunteer teams will work alongside the locals and will bring much-needed funding to cover materials like cement, rebar, hand tools, PVC vent pipes, and galvanized roofing.

It only takes about $100 to build a latrine that will save dozens of young lives.

A team that contributes a $5,000 donation will provide over 50 latrines. Volunteers can return home after their trip knowing that the work of the villagers and the positive, life-saving impact of their contribution will continue.

If your school, church, or community club is looking for a chance to help with a vital project, please contact us at volunteer@curamericas.org for more information on volunteering in Liberia or underwriting the cost of a life-saving well or latrine.