For the third time, the GoodTextiles Foundation has realized a WASH community project together with Cotton made in Africa (CmiA). This project concerns the villages of Sidi and Moukouma in Burkina-Faso. The villagers had to walk between four and ten kilometres every day to get access to clean drinking water and were often forced to use unsafe water sources such as rivers. This resulted in serious hygiene and health problems.

After an extensive assessment of water scarcity at the project sites, two boreholes were drilled and hand-operated pumps installed. They are located in communal areas that are freely accessible to all and free of private property claims and rights. The 3,000 inhabitants of both villages are now having unrestricted access to clean drinking water at all times. The WASH training sessions taught the villagers how to promote hygiene at the water points to ensure water quality. Finally, they were given the necessary maintenance tools for their work.

The project’s results are already measurable. First, availability of drinking water, knowledge about waterborne diseases and prevention measures have been realised. It also led to a reduced rate of waterborne diseases, reduced walking distance to fetch water and improved living conditions, especially for women.