Source of development

Half of Mali's 11 million population still lack access to safe water.

Credit: WaterAid / Daniel O'Leary

By James Ratcliffe, Volunteer writer for WaterAid

Mali ranks as one of the world's poorest countries where nearly half of the 11 million population still lack access to safe water.

WaterAid has been operational in the West African country for the past two years, helping to improve the lives of some of its poorest people.

The Malian water industry is fully privatised and is currently focused on the urbanised and industrial areas leaving the poorer areas without services. WaterAid is running a pilot scheme in the slums surrounding Mali's capital Bamako, providing clean water and sanitation services to underprivileged people.

WaterAid hopes that through this work it can demonstrate to both government and other donors that projects in slums can be successful, both socially and economically.

WaterAid has financed the construction of the area's water network and is now training local people to manage and maintain the system and raise the money needed to keep it operational.

By encouraging the community to invest in its own infrastructure, WaterAid is ensuring that the community's development is based on strong foundations rather than charity.

Idrissa Doucoure, WaterAid's West Africa Regional Manager, says that this kind of project is a means of promoting development and, most importantly, enabling the community to participate. "The people living in the outskirts of Bamako have decided to invest more in their water system than they are required to," he says. "The extra money is then reinvested in other activities to benefit their community and so the development continues."

By giving local people such a high degree of ownership, WaterAid's function in Mali becomes that of a facilitator and educator. "Installing the water network was the easy part," Doucoure continues. "We are now putting our energy into education programmes and empowering the communities to continue their own development into the future.

This will allow WaterAid to move on and help others. It takes a generation, perhaps 15 years, for health and sanitation to be properly embedded into people's day to day life and this is the learning that is taking place now."

The Mali Government has been very supportive of WaterAid's work in Bamako, and Doucoure hopes that the work in Mali will help the country's government set its water policies to ensure that everyone, even the poorest, gain access to safe water and sanitation.

It is evident that the work is of immense value to society as a whole. "The local government has already noticed significant improvements in the general health of the community," says Doucoure.

"Now they no longer have to walk so far to collect water women are finding they have more time and can get more involved in the community, also, many more young girls are now attending school. We are currently compiling statistics to demonstrate these benefits, and I believe that these figures will make very interesting reading for the Government, private sector and donors."

Find out more about our work in Mali