Fatou collects water from the community tap, rehabilitated with United Purpose’s support, The Gambia, 2024.
When the solar-powered water system supplying Fatou’s village broke down, the community didn’t have the resources or training to fix it.
Like many villagers in The Gambia’s Central River Region, the 30-year-old rice farmer had to spend most of her day walking to fetch water.
With our support, the solar-powered system has now been repaired and is providing a safe, clean supply of water, giving precious hours back to Fatou and the many other women and girls traditionally tasked with water collection.
The work is part of a project in The Gambia being funded by the Waterloo Foundation, FORSA and Dublin City Council.
“I walk to this community tap eight times a day to fetch water because I cook, wash dishes and wash clothes, and those activities all require water,” said Fatou, a rice farmer and village water committee member.
“We now have extra time to do other activities and it reduces the stress and hassle of collecting water outside our community. We also have time to relax and enjoy a little time off for ourselves.”
In many rural areas of The Gambia, hand pumps are breaking or have broken, and even newly-installed solar-powered systems, like the one in Fatou’s village, require ongoing maintenance.
United Purpose and local partners are collaborating with communities to make access to safe water more sustainable. Village committees are making decisions on water point management, and fees are being charged for water use, with the money then made available for management and maintenance.
A network of local mechanics is now on hand to fix pumps, while a solar company has been retained to establish service contracts with rural communities and make regular maintenance visits.
Fatou, who relies on small-scale farming to earn a living, is keen to establish an irrigation system that would allow women like her to set up their own market gardens. At present, she walks several kilometres to farm rice, taking her away from her children for long periods of each day.
“A vegetable garden would reduce the frequency with which I would go to the rice field for work and would allow me more time to give good care to my children,” she said.