The Extreme Heat in the Summer
The hot season has settled in on Bouassa, for several weeks now. The desert wind stopped blowing, and with it the cool of the morning. The air vibrates as if the earth was burning up and yet the line is already long at the water pump in the Kougpélin district. The people start lining up during the night. They arrive before the person in charge of the key shows up and opens the hand pump. They put their water jugs in a row in order to “reserve” their place in the line. That way they are among the first to be helped. The trees planted are still too small to produce any shade, so most women and children that are fetching water slide up against to the adobe wall of the small Protestant church, seeking the slightest bit of shade. Even the water that comes out of the pump is hot. Almost 27C (81F) degrees sometimes! We need to find a solution…
The Sahel in The Extreme Heat in the Summer
The other morning, two people representing the foundation that funded the hand pump for Phase 1 of the Bouassa project, came to see how things were going. The pastor of the Protestant church, Séraphin, was present. They took pictures, asked about the pump was managed, the impact in the area and also about the next phase with the water tower and latrines. Séraphin explained that in addition to the development aspects of Phase 2, he dreams about being able to build a shelter, an “apatam” or a rotunda of some sort. This would allow those who are waiting to fill their cans to wait under some shade. Sure, it would increase the budget but to the surprise of the pastor, the two people told him they were going to fight tooth and nail for the project to be again partly funded by their foundation and that he had to add the idea of the shelter! They then explained that they really liked the holistic approach we had to access to water and sanitation and they would very much like this approach they we call the “territorial approach” to become more and more the norm!
Marketplace in the Sahel, oil painting on canvas, by Angela Farina-Biffi
We are very pleased with this kind of response to our commitment to Bouassa and this gives us hope for a favorable outcome. At least we hope so for our friends there.
Because we still believe…
THE SOLUTION:
ONE WELL PER VILLAGE:
We believe people, not water, can change everything! When you sponsor Well Drilling Project in Burkina Faso, Africa you’ll unlock the potential of an entire community! #Burkina