Water access, something that we take for granted in the West is a daily struggle for many around the world, causing illness and disease and resulting in the death of a child every 20 seconds. Development is impossible without the natural resources required to maintain our basic needs, but we are hoping to help these communities by meeting the entire water and sanitation needs of the rural village and surrounding areas of Kamendena in Burkina Faso by providing a well and 4 latrines.
Burkina Faso is increasingly affected by climate change and desertification, creating difficulties in accessing previous water sources. Our work is carried out in small, rural communities that can be overlooked by larger NGOs. They average African child or adult Woman spends 16 hours a week collecting water for their family. This cuts into time for things such as education.
By reducing time spent collecting water we have a knock on effect for all the children as they have more time to attend school and adults as they manage to spend longer farming the land and running small businesses. Sanitation and hygiene are also a factor as the number of water born diseases is reduced.
Sustainability is one of our core values. The formation of water and sanitation committees brings together representatives from all of the community, including those from marginalised groups, such as women. Their role is to oversee and manage the building of the facilities, liaise with stakeholders. This can unite a community with a common goal and a central point with which everyone has a vested interest.
