2 "Making water a human right." United Nations
1 "Waterborne Diseases." International Encyclopedia of Public Health - 26 August 2008
Filling and lifting a 20kg container on a slippery bank makes fetching water dangerous and difficult. With a protected spring containers can be placed under the pipe and carried away safely. Protection also ensures much better water quality by the elimination of surface contamination.
A simple proven solution
When springs aren't available
SPRING PROTECTION
HAND DUG WELLS
When springs are not available or are too distant, a hand-dug well can transform the lives of local people by providing them with a close source of water. We test every well and the pure groundwater always exceeds WHO standards3. A hand-dug well typically costs 2'500 chf to construct.
When the majority of the population barely have enough food to eat, and children are dependent on their parent's income, charging even the smallest token amount is enough to send the very poorest back to dirty water sources. That's why all our wells and springs are open to the public free of charge.
Natural water sources are often contaminated streams or unprotected springs which carry water-borne diseases. That's why we have opened 13 community wells, protected 3 springs and are protecting another 6 springs. We do this both because of the immediate need and for the long term development of rural communities.
FREE OF CHARGE
Clean water for the poorest
of waterborne diseases are preventable. 2
95%
100 chf a year
will maintain a well and provide clean water to over a 1'000 people
Access to safe, consumable water is not merely a basic human need, but a basic human right1, yet more than half of Africa's villages do not have access to it.