A path shared for 27 years - IFAD

“I’d say I save at least five hours a day because of the water project.
I have more time to cultivate my family’s land and to do paid work
for other farmers. My husband and I grow enough food for the whole
year and we sell maize and tomatoes at the local market.”
Woman farmer, Rukanga, Kenya
“We don’t charge fees for water during the rainy season. That’s to
encourage people not to use rainwater from puddles.”
Liliane Denehaudjimbaye, Nutrition field worker, North Guéra, Chad
“The new wells in our village are most helpful to the women living near
them. They can spend more time on crops and fishing for shrimps.
My children and I still have to walk three hours round trip to get only
40 litres a day.”
Woman living at a distance from the centre of Gelo, Mozambique
“Good water is so important! The well is used only for drinking, cooking
and bathing. We dig pits and seepholes for the vegetable gardens.
Just imagine: we used to drink that water! The taste was bad to awful
depending on how much dirt, leaves and branches had fallen into it.
Now we know that we were often sick because of that water. We take a
bottle of clean water with us to the fields.”
Mr. Shana, President of a local credit branch office, North Guéra, Chad
“We know that this water has improved our health. Last
year, 70 people were hospitalized for intestinal diseases.
So far this year, nobody has had to be hospitalized for that.”
Mr. Mugana, Chairman, Water Point Committee, (north-western) Somalia
Local man drawing water from a
deep tube well, Aguié, Niger.
©IFAD/D. Rose
Children fetching water at the
protected spring, Kenya.
©IFAD/R. Chalasani
WATER
27