West Africa Projects Spur Microdevelopment and Improves Lives
The Challenge
Access to clean water is one of the greatest needs of the people of West Africa. Further, because of extreme drought conditions, people cannot grow enough food to sustain their families. Village women—who walk miles each day to fetch water from open, unclean sources—told us:
“When we have a well, our children will stop dying.”
The Solution
Rotary projects in more than 40 communities are making a tremendous difference in the lives of tens of thousands of needy people by providing clean water, sanitation, health care, education, and income generation.
West Africa Projects operates under the auspices of Rotary District 5500 (Southern Arizona, USA) to organize sustainable water and sanitation projects in Rotary District 9100, which includes 14 countries of West Africa. The effort is coordinated by the Sierra Vista Rotary Club and Sierra Vista Sunrise Rotary Club, with active participation of more than 70 clubs in 14 districts and seven countries.
West Africa Projects is funded by matching grants from The Rotary Foundation. Rotary clubs collect funds from members, non-members, and other interested organizations to provide about one-third of the total funds. The Rotary Foundation provides the rest with matches from the World Fund and District Designated Funds (DDF).
The Results
In Togo, more than 10,000 needy people are benefiting from community water wells, sanitation facilities, and education equipment. In Niger, more than 35,000 people are benefiting from wells, health care, education, and income generating projects. Many of the Niger projects are being conducted in partnership with the US Peace Corps.
The wells have the following benefits:
- Improved health: Clean water from the wells reduces the incidences of water borne diseases and debilitating diarrhea. They will also bring to an end the death rate of up to half of the children under the age of 5.
Improved food production: With a well, the villagers are able to irrigate local gardens and food crops. The addition of vegetables dramatically improves the health of the children as well as adults. - Improved education:The improved health of the children enables them to do to school, which isn't possible when so many of them are sick from bad water and hunger. Further, the girls are able to attend school instead of accompanying their mothers on the water trek.
- Improved livestock retention: Wells enable goats, camels, chickens, cattle, and other animals to have water, which further enhances income and food sources in the village. Wells also reduce the necessity for livestock to wander off in search of water.
- Higher standard of living: Increased availability of food and clean water improve the standard of living and enable education and better incomes. Instead of spending hours each day fetching water, the women of the villages are able to devote energy to their families, their gardens, and other income producing work. Further, family size becomes more manageable as the birth rate drops due to the presence of better health and better education.