A day in the life of

Djibril Coulibaly, Project Coordinator for WaterAid's partner JIGI, Mali.

Djibril Coulibaly, Project Coordinator for WaterAid's partner JIGI, Mali

"I usually wake up at 5:30am, take a shower and say my morning prayer. After that I organise my documents for the day and get ready for breakfast. I always have 'mony', a national porridge made of millet, to which we add sugar and skimmed milk -I share this with my wife and kids. I am a happily married man and the proud father of a six year old girl and a three year old boy. Breakfast is a privileged moment where everyone discusses their requests, their suggestions or any other family issues.

After the cold glass of water that I always drink after breakfast, I take a last look at my pre-arranged planning of the day, leave home, drop my daughter to school, and head to JIGI's headquarters. JIGI is one of WaterAid's first partners in Mali, which works on a project in Nafadji, a suburb of Mali's capital, Bamako. I am the coordinator of a project called AEPHA (Adduction Eau Potable Hygiene et Assainissement which in English means supplying potable water, hygiene and sanitation).

With the rest of the staff, I meet for a planning briefing. During these meetings I always give priority to the AEPHA project because I have been in charge of it since 2001, when it was only a pilot project. It was created by the Government through the National Hydraulic Department, the Council of Water and Sanitation Supply Department. They build water facilities across the country, and are specialised in
the training and setting up of management and monitoring committees.

Sewage and waste water flow in the streets of Korofina Sud, an area of Bamako without water supplies or sanitation facilities.

Credit: WaterAid / Daniel O’Leary

So far we have built standpipes and public latrines in markets, and we have also set up a savings fund for women. We have built a non formal education centre in Commune VI to teach women literacy, and other skills like how to dye clothes, make traditional soap, and how to dry certain foods like onion, to enable women to have income activities that are linked to their access to water.

AEPHA now plan on creating some similar education centres in Nafadji, where we would like to use some of the money that the population has collected from the standpipes built by WaterAid, to expand our actions and enable the community to gain more independence.

After the meeting I proceed to the briefing for the field workers to see how they are progressing and to give handouts about what is going on. I also take care of appointments with technical partners such as Energy of Mali (EDM).

Next, I go to the field to meet with organisers, volunteers, masons and standpipe maintainers. I also meet with the management committee, the support group and the village council, who are all members of Nafadji community. We usually work with the help of the community groups that we set up, like the management committee support group, the community volunteers and the masons that construct the sanitation infrastructure.

WaterAid's intervention in Commune I was a great opportunity for the people of Nafadji who were living in extreme poverty and were facing big problems over access to safe water. WaterAid's action through JIGI came at the right moment to help the people who were not able to express their own needs.

Nafadji is among the poorest communities in Bamako, and the community members are aware of their situation. Because they would like to change their life by any means, they make our work easy - each time they see that somebody is ready to help them, they are available and give all their support.

The extension of safe water supplies in Nafadji was made possible through an agreement between JIGI, The Commune I Mairie and WaterAid. After much advocacy, EDM made the extension under two conditions - the partners had to pay for the cost and depending on the populations, the standpipes were to be built every 200 to 280 metres. Poor and marginalised people also agreed to give some contributions towards the work and together these agreements enabled them to gain access to safe water.

I cannot say exactly when I get off work because as a field worker I have to be flexible to meet communities' needs. In general community meetings are held after normal working hours so my day usually ends with communities in Nafadji. For example, as I am writing this article, I have a meeting at 8:30pm with a Women's Association in Nafadji.

After such days, I always go straight home, take a shower and eat. After a while, I go back to my documents, make a summary of the day and go to bed around 11pm and fall asleep to the sound of nice music.

I do this job because I feel proud about doing it. I am a field worker, and each time that I do something positive for these communities, it makes me happy. It is all about doing something and making a difference, no matter how big or small it is. I do not picture my life in the future doing any other thing."