You already know that Wells Bring Hope is committed to drilling wells to bring safe water and sanitation to rural villages in Niger, West Africa. You may also know that … But how much do you know about the country and the people that we serve?
Well #200!
Wells Bring Hope is proud to announce a milestone to celebrate–200 wells in five years! That’s 130,000 lives transformed by safe water in the poorest country in the world.
Deadly Problems Need Tangible Solutions
The water crisis is about as big and deadly as it gets. There are 345 million
people in Africa who lack access to clean, safe water. I saw it firsthand when I had
the opportunity to go to Niger, West Africa in January 2012. On that trip, I visited a village without “safe water,” which meant that the women and girls would have to walk for miles to a filthy water hole to get any form of water. They would fill a large bucket with foul, brown, disgusting water and trudge back to their village carrying the heavy load on their heads. Water so filthy that I wouldn’t even give it to my pets was their only source of water for cooking and drinking. Forget about hygiene – water is too precious and rare to be used for hand washing or showers. Because of all this, more than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes.
A Safe Water Well for Koutouma – We Did It!
After testing to see if the pump was working properly, the water was sampled and sent to the water quality laboratory. The results indicated that all major parameters met the WHO standard except that nitrites were slightly elevated. An analysis revealed that the nitrites may have come from the chemical product used for mud drilling. After hours of pumping, another sample was drawn and sent for analysis. The water sample passed, and the hand pump installation followed on June 7th after the concrete apron around the pump was constructed.
The Meaning of Poverty
The ten poorest countries in the world lie within this region of one of the largest continents on Earth. Seven nations in this area are currently troubled with political and social issues, and have been devastated by harsh climate changes. Niger is one of the most severely affected of those countries.
According to Oxford University’s poverty index, 92 percent of Niger’s population is trapped in what is called “multi-dimensional” poverty, the highest level in 109 countries studied. Niger, along with nearby Congo, was also ranked dead last on the UN’s 2013 Human Development Index.
Women: Inspiration & Enterprise – The Future of Africa
South Africa has historically been a nation that sets examples. Within Africa, which as a continent is experiencing new economic growth, South Africa leads the way in international and open-door economic policies. It rebelled against apartheid to become one of the most multi-cultural and multi-ethnic countries in the world; it hosts anti-homophobia symposiums; it was home to the first human-to-human heart transplant; and now, South Africa is continuing its trend this year by honoring prominent female leaders at the Women, Inspiration & Enterprise symposium in Cape Town.
Food for Thought
In comparison the diet in Niger is, at the best of times, repetitive. A diet largely consisting of milk and cereals such as millet or sorghum made into a porridge, as well as some starchy roots doesn’t offer a lot nutrition, and protein from meat is only available on special occasions with livestock being too valuable to slaughter on a regular basis. When fruits and vegetables are available, they are usually prohibitively expensive for the poorest families. Beyond that there is also the host of issues that come with collecting water for communities without a well, ranging from a lack of safety for women going to collect water to a lack of cleanliness of the water itself.
A lack of proper food impacts both physical and mental development in youngsters and productivity in adults. Stunted growth amongst children is alarmingly prevalent in Niger with some estimates suggesting that about half of under-five’s suffer from this problem.
No Surprises Here
Due to unsafe water, there are 4.7 more deaths per 1,000 children under age five in countries such as Niger than there are in countries such as the United States. Due to unimproved sanitation, there are 6.6 more deaths for every 1,000 children under five.
The Nightmare of Malnutrition
Niger is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, and every day people struggle with the very same things we Americans take for granted: access to food and clean drinking water. People in Niger, particularly children, deal with health concerns related to unsafe water on a regular basis, and overall the country has the fourth worst child mortality rate in the world.
If You Do Nothing, There Will Be No Results
You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results. -Gandhi
