The ZONGO Water Project began as Emily Williamson's graduate architecture thesis while at UVA. Since then, she has continued to work with the community and implemented phase 1 last year called "community engagement". This year, Emily will build upon these on-the-ground efforts by continuing the installation of rain water collection systems, executing a pilot project that has economic and social benefit, and creating a long-term planning document with the community. To learn more this summer's goals and how you can help, visit Emily's website at www.obdl.org.
Brief Project Summary:
The ZONGO Water Project is about using water as a way to improve the quality of life for the Zongo Community, a minority Islamic settlement located in Cape Coast, Ghana. Even though this migrant community has lived and traded in the city of Cape Coast for over a century, the residents are still treated as outsiders and most of the buildings don’t have access to the city’s public infrastructure. While the problems of flood and drought, sanitation, hygiene, and erosion are germane to the entirety of Ghana’s Central region, these issues are of particular concern for the visibly impoverished Zongo community. Rather than developing a master plan to be executed by the government, this human-centered approach creates a sustainable, long-term, community-based strategy for a new water infrastructure through the processes of engagement, education, empowerment, and sustainability.
