Nsamouna Market Rehabilitation

English

Context:

Nsamouna is a village located near the departmental capital of the Republic of Congo's Pool Department, a region affected by numerous past and recent conflicts.

Nsamouna's residents largely practice small-scale agriculture, primarily cultivating cassava and a range of vegetables for sale on local and area markets. During the last conflict in 2017, the village's market was destroyed, and its sole vehicle-accessible road fell into disrepair, effectively isolating the village from nearby market and vendors and the associated livelihood opportunities.

The team supporting this project frequently visited Nsamouna in 2019 and 2020, working side-by-side with village leaders and residents to rehabilitate the road connecting the village to nearby Departmental capital of Kinkala. While improved physical access to the village allowed easier flow of agricultural products to markets, the rehabilitation of the market structure was identified by local government, village leaders, and residents as the key 'piece of the puzzle' to stimulate further economic recovery for the village and its neighbors.

Proposed intervention:

Using a rapid assessment of the structure conducted in February 2020, the project team will provide professional expertise and management to quickly and safely "build back better" with full participation of Nsamouna's residents. The project will use locally-appropriate building practices and key locally-sourced materials (handmade clay bricks, recovered hardwood beams) to ensure future upkeep is feasible. The rehabilitated market will feature:

• Improved ventilation due to an improved roof design.
• Secure roofing using new, heavy-weight metal sheeting and bolted-on fixtures.
• A rehabilitated foundation with special attention to improved drainage for sanitation and longevity due to heavy seasonal rains.

Additionally, the project team will provide training on upkeep and meet with Departmental and village leadership - as well as community members - throughout the project's life cycle to ensure the market is managed and understood as a public good. Post-project monitoring will be conducted by a third party one month after construction to verify the structure's condition and observe its use. A report of this mission will be provided to local government authorities and the project team.

Rehabilitation efforts are planned for December 2020.

Meet the team:

Sosthene is a Congolese engineer and aid worker with nearly 20 years of experience in rural development and humanitarian response. He has spent much of his career in the Pool Department and has an exceptional knowledge of the context and communities.

Loic is a French-American aid worker with experience in emergency responses in Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.

Transparency:

We're committed to delivering this project in a fully transparent manner, both in our collaboration with the community of Nsamouna and the local government, but also with our donors. You can see a full budget by scrolling through the photos at the top of this page. We are happy to reply to any questions on our price estimates, building plans, or intervention strategy.

At the completion of the project, a full narrative and financial report will be prepared.

COVID-19 considerations:

The Republic of Congo has registered 5,089 cases and 89 deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus as of October 9, 2020. The project team will follow all government protocols relating to limiting transmission risk of the virus, including pre-mission COVID-19 testing of the project team, mask wearing for all individuals on the project site, and mandatory hand-washing.

Refunds: If we don't succeed in raising the target funding by November 15, we will reimburse all donations directly to donor's bank and credit cards through Fundly's secure platform.