Help Villagers in Benin Access Safe, Clean Water

We are so close to getting the solar-powered clean water station installed and running in Bouka, a village in the Kalalé District of Benin. You may wonder what’s been taking so long. After all, how hard can it be to identify a community in need and make the installation?  It’s harder than you might think, according to one of SELF’s project managers, Jean-Baptiste Certain:

“Most people think that installing units is the hardest part. It’s just the opposite: One day, and it’s done, training included. But finding the right community, setting up the system in a sustainable way, verifying that we’re not going to damage an existing project, tapping into pre-existing water infrastructures…the whole social aspect of this work is actually huge. It takes a lot of time, care, and knowledge of the field, and it can sometimes be costly. It is true that nothing’s easy, except for the installation, but we can never lose sight of the fact that it is worth it. The clean water stations save lives.”

Our last hurdle on the Bouka project is customs. All of the necessary equipment has arrived in Benin, however, recent changes in customs regulations have delayed its delivery to Bouka.  It is difficult for the community to know that each day that passes is another day without clean water, but they are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the equipment so that the installation can begin. We are hoping that the equipment will be released within a month.

Not wanting to cause any delays on top of those beyond our control, we have gone ahead and ordered all of the equipment for the Bouka project with faith that we can raise the remaining $1,200 to cover installation. Please consider helping us reach our goal as soon as possible so that we can deliver a clean water station to the people of Bouka during the upcoming holiday season.

We recently communicated with two women, Yerima and Cherifa, from the remote village of Danganzi in Benin. They received a solar water station and wanted to thank us for it. Cherifa said, “When we visit neighboring villages and talk about our solar pump, people are very envious. They know we have something precious.”

One of those neighboring villages is Bouka, the community waiting to receive the next solar water station being funded through GlobalGiving. If Yerima’s and Cherifa’s descriptions of life before their new water station are any indication of the situation in Bouka, the need is urgent.

Yerima: “Before the water station, we had to travel to Marigot [a nearby village] for our water for cooking, drinking and cleaning. The problem was that we noticed the water from Marigot had organisms—larvae of all kinds—that were growing in our water jars. We had to consume the water anyway. Our children got sick all the time with diarrhea and other maladies. They had little sores all over their skin. It was sad to see them suffer. We spent a lot of money for the hospital.”

Cherifa: “In the old, open well, we found things you couldn’t imagine—animal carcasses, plastic packaging, wood debris, and mosquitos. We took a lot of risks just for a basin of water.   Since the water station was installed, we need only turn on the faucet, and we instantly have our water – and it’s clean! Now we only have to spend a little time meeting our daily needs for water. The rest of the time we can work in the fields or do other things.”

Based upon Yerima’s and Cherifa’s descriptions, the new water station will deliver more than just clean water. It will provide better health, monetary savings, and more time for the women to be productive in other areas.

With just a small push – $1,265 – we will reach our goal to fund the Bouka water station. Since it often takes months to ship the necessary equipment from the manufacturer to Benin, process it through customs, and deliver it to the site, we have used a portion of the money raised so far to begin that process. The solar equipment is scheduled to be in Benin by mid-September. We are hoping to have raised the few remaining funds by that time so that we can finish the project. The residents of Bouka are counting on it!

Thanks for your support in this endeavor. We look forward to sending you photos from Bouka in our next report. If you would like to receive general updates about SELF’s projects, please subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here.