Rehabilitation Project
Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
When the Living Water Burkina Faso team arrived, 900 community members were dependent on an unprotected hand dug well located 5 kilometers outside the community, an unprotected spring located 1 kilometer outside the community among other forms of surface water to help sustain their water needs. (Editor's Note: While this many people may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people. To learn more, click here.) Tangbori is a very remote village and difficult to reach because of the poor roads. The old pipe materials had been dropped in the well by a local repairer and thus the well had been abandoned. Thankfully, the Living Water Burkina Faso team was able to fish out the old materials first and then install the new materials without any problems. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a Water Committee, Self-help Group and a Women’s Health Group who assisted the team and provided necessary assistance to others in the community. Most residents are of Catholic, Protestant or Muslim faith and the local Catholic church has committed to continuing to cultivate community members after the team leaves the area. Before leaving the community, the team provided the Water Committee with a Living Water Burkina Faso contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.
Using the Living Water Traditional Method, the team addressed: Germs, Hand Washing-Proper Techniques and Water Saving Methods, Good-Bad Hygiene Behaviors, Proper Care of Pump and Keeping the Water Clean.
The Living Water Burkina Faso team had an opportunity to meet with thirty-five year old community member and teacher, Gabriel Some, who stated, "Truly, we want to say thank you. We have had many problems with this well, but today it is rehabilitated. I think that it will support very well the activities of the school. There is someone who said, "without water there is no life." We have received this clean water and it has helped greatly, on the side of the teachers who had to pay for water, the students also who are supported by drinking water and the preparation of school lunches. In the past, there were moments where we had reduced our intake of water, because the water we were consuming was causing many illnesses. But, with this project we are saved! We want to say thank you, and please continue to do this, because without water there is no life! Thank you on behalf of all the students!"
