Our Mission

Practical Small Projects creates new health, education, and income-generating opportunities in West Africa through the provision of potable water systems, health care centers, schools, and solar energy. Our projects require minimal environmental and financial investment.

We respond to needs specific to each community and believe that skill transfer, support for local business, and access to basic needs produces significant results. Small and practical, PSP effects big change!

For more information please email info@practicalsmallprojects.com

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wNews & Highlights

We're Wired

We're Wired!

Dembélé set up Afriq-Power in 2005 with financial help from Practical Small Projects, an NGO based in the US that devotes its resources to projects in Mali. At the time, Afriq-Power’s solar panels cost 30 to 40 per cent less than secondhand European ones.

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New Announcement!

Support from the Addax Petroleum Foundation

We are happy to announce that the Addax Petroleum Foundation renewed its support for Practical Small Projects with a grant that permitted PSP to install solar technology in three villages in Mali since 2008. The foundation’s website can be found here. To see the work funded over the last few years, view the videos and photos documented in the blog site. (www.generatechange.tv/mali)

Cudahy Fund

Foundation Support

The Patrick and Anna Cudahy Fund, which dates back to 1921, and has a long tradition of providing assistance in the relief of poverty and care of the sick, provided financial support to Practical Small Projects for the electrification of a health clinic in the village of Dogo. (www.cudahyfund.org)

John Sturges Cottage

Fundraiser at the Cottage

Board member Bette Gigliotti held a fundraiser event at the Jonathan Sturges “Cottage,” a historic home in Fairfield, Connecticut. The monies that were raised were applied to the construction of a maternity in Bougouni, Mali.

Craigslist Foundation Reality Grant

Craigslist Foundation Reality Grant

Kristin Johnson (former Development Director for Practical Small Projects and currently on the Board of Advisors) participated in the Reality Grantmaking Competition at the Craigslist Foundation's Boot Camp in NYC and came in 3rd place, winning a small grant for PSP.

PSP at the AfriCANDO Confrence

PSP at the AfriCANDO Confrence

Mary Graham and Karen Heston participated at the AfriCANDO conference in Miami. Karen provided video documentation of Mary speaking at the conference. The conference theme was "Promoting the Use of Appropriate Technology for Rural Community Development in Africa," and was sponsored by the Foundation for Democracy in Africa.

3The Work

  1. 1

    Current Concern - Siby Internet Cafe

    Siby is a small town with 8,000 inhabitants, located about 40 km outside of Bamako. The village is accessible by the paved Route National 40. Siby’s location allows PSP to work there year round, including during the rainy season. Siby has access to clean water, food and stable shelters, but, like the rest of Mali, suffers from low literacy rates and limited economic opportunity.

    Siby has a high school with 326 students, a middle school with 494 students and three elementary schools with a total of 1438 students. In 2011, the different grade levels in Siby had a passing rate of 33%, 64% and 77% respectively. The Internet Café will provide the schools of Siby with new resources and allow the community as a whole to interact with the world in a new way. The Internet will provide learning tools for students, build computer literacy and create employment opportunities through remote commuting or online certifications. Many in the community, particularly the large number with relatives in France, spend a great deal on calling cards in order to communicate. Through technologies such as Skype, families will be able to save their incomes for other uses while staying connected.

    The Internet Café will be equipped with Inveneo computers. Inveneo creates high performing technologies requiring about a fourth of the wattage an average computer requires and can, therefore, be practically powered by solar panels. (http://www.inveneo.org)

    We are currently seeking funding for this project.

  2. 2

    Recent Case Study - PSP in the village of Diban

    The Addax Foundation Grant provided PSP financial support to work with the villagers to provide: 1) Solar lighting of the heath clinic and school; 2) A solar refrigerator; 3) A solar pumping system for the well; 4) Construction of a school director's office; 5) Rehabilitation of the school; and 6) Training videos on sanitation that were produced locally and shown to the villagers. These projects then led to the creation of a number of micro-enterprises.

    The work and projects can be seen in this video link

  3. 3

    PSP + Afriq Power

    Afriq-Power, a Malian owned and operated company, reflects Practical Small Projects’ initiative to support local enterprise. PSP established Afriq Power with Daniel Dembélé, a native Malian, in 2005. Dembélé is now the Director of Afriq-Power. With no locally produced panels available in Mali, PSP, in collaboration with Dr. Richard Komp of Skyheat Associates, built this local capacity by training a group of motivated Malians to assemble solar panels locally. Having a local company with solar expertise reduces the risk of the solar panels being rendered unusable when something goes wrong, a common phenomena with many solar panels scattered over Africa.