les puits du desert

Les Puits du Desert was born from a life-changing experience. During a humanitarian raid in northern Niger, our founder, Christel Pernet, was forced to make an emergency landing in the desert. For four days, she lived alongside nomadic families and discovered the daily reality of living without access to water. Convinced that action was needed, she created Les Puits du Desert, which has worked since 2004 in close partnership with the Nigerien NGO Tidene. Our mission is to sustainably improve the living conditions of nomadic and rural communities in northern Niger, particularly in the Agadez region. These populations face extremely difficult conditions: lack of safe water, food insecurity, l... read more Les Puits du Desert was born from a life-changing experience. During a humanitarian raid in northern Niger, our founder, Christel Pernet, was forced to make an emergency landing in the desert. For four days, she lived alongside nomadic families and discovered the daily reality of living without access to water. Convinced that action was needed, she created Les Puits du Desert, which has worked since 2004 in close partnership with the Nigerien NGO Tidene. Our mission is to sustainably improve the living conditions of nomadic and rural communities in northern Niger, particularly in the Agadez region. These populations face extremely difficult conditions: lack of safe water, food insecurity, limited access to healthcare and education, and few economic opportunities, particularly for women. We believe that access to water is the foundation of development. It improves health, enables children to attend school, supports livestock and agriculture, and creates opportunities for economic development. Our activities therefore focus on four complementary areas: water, education, health, and women's empowerment. Our work is based on a long-term partnership with Tidene, a Nigerien NGO rooted in the Agadez region. Tidene brings local expertise, cultural understanding and strong relationships with communities, while Les Puits du Desert provides fundraising, technical and administrative support, and accountability to international donors and partners. Projects, budgets and monitoring are managed jointly. Every project starts with the communities themselves. Tidene's teams consult village leaders, women, young people and other community members to identify priorities. Communities then participate in implementation and management. Local committees are created and trained to manage and maintain infrastructure, while beneficiaries receive training adapted to each project. Beyond infrastructure, we invest in long-term autonomy. Water management committees are trained in maintenance, schools involve teachers and parents, health workers receive equipment and training, and women's cooperatives are supported in developing income-generating activities. Our projects are designed to fit the realities of nomadic and rural life. Wells can be located along pastoral routes, boarding facilities allow children from remote nomadic families to attend school, and women's activities are developed in ways that are compatible with local responsibilities and traditions. Over more than twenty years, Les Puits du Desert and Tidene have built or rehabilitated more than 345 wells and boreholes, constructed 13 schools, supported health facilities and helped develop more than 16 women's cooperatives. These projects have improved access to essential services for tens of thousands of people across the Agadez region. Our work is supported by individual donors, companies, foundations and institutions in France and internationally. We are committed to financial transparency, regular reporting and rigorous monitoring of the projects we implement. Our long-term vision is to help communities become increasingly resilient and autonomous: ensuring access to safe water, enabling children, especially girls, to attend school, improving access to healthcare, and giving women greater opportunities to earn an income. Our mission is therefore not simply to build wells, schools or health facilities. It is to create the conditions for communities themselves to build a more sustainable and dignified future.