Help Villagers in Benin Access Safe, Clean Water

Later this month, while we in North America enjoy the start of festive holiday celebrations, millions of rural villagers in Sub-Saharan Africa are bracing for a long, dry season of drought and hardship. They would give anything for a clean water source.

SELF recently conducted a survey of all of the known man-made public water sources in the district of Kalalé in Benin to determine which village has the greatest need for a new potable water site. We want to make sure we prioritize these needs and distribute water as fairly as possible. What we found surprised even our seasoned field staff. The water crisis in Kalalé is more desperate than we initially thought. Unlike the U.S. where every household has its own water, there are only 109 access points to clean water for a population of 183,085 in Kalalé. That means an average of 1,680 people in northern Benin share the same spigot that would only serve one family in the U.S. And this is only the average! In the worst case scenario, 9,208 people are competing for one source of clean drinking water.

Using solar-powered pumps to draw water from deep aquifers, SELF can reduce these shocking numbers if it can identify the funding needed for installations. Thanks to all who have helped us get almost half way to our goal of providing a new well in Kalalé through Global Giving. SELF’s Project Director, Jeff Lahl, has just returned from Benin and says the local people are thrilled at the prospect of getting a new water station. What better gift could we give this holiday season, than being able to quench the thirst of thousands of people in Benin

Links:

• Check out our instagram photos of Benin
• Read about our Solar Market Gardens, also in Kalale
• Watch a short animated video about our work in Benin