Economic Development: WaterAid in Mali

The Location

Mali is landlocked. North Western Africa. Borders Algeria and Niger.

What's it like?

 It is an LEDC. Northern Part is part of Sahara Desert. Southern Part is greener and more populated. Natural Environment is harsh and deteriorating.

What problems does it face?

 It's landlocked, cannot export goods easily, very poor. Desertification happening, rainfall levels low, causes droughts. Total % of population with access to water supply is 50%.

What is WaterAid? A NGO (Non- Government Organisation). Established in 1981. 1st Project in Zambia, operations spread quickly to other countries. Wateraid currently operates in Mali. They work to improve quality of life through sustainable water, sanitation & hygiene education, using local and practical skills, sustainable technologies.

Where does it operate? WaterAid works in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, Pacific region and Central America. Mostly LEDCs.

Latrines for Life Priest Mergeta Kelemework is member of water and sanitation committee in Chandeba (Ethiopia). One of first people to build a ventilated improved pit latrine & is now encouraging others too.

Community Choice The community in Malica, Mozambique completed their well in 2001. A lot of people had scabies and people often died from diarrhoea. It was very bad and so they built a well.

 Self-funded Sewers WaterAid and its partner are helping communtites in Pakistan, living in low income settlements to install underground piping to channel sewage to the main sewage line.

Latrines for Life A latrine is made from local materials. Has a bamboo ventilator coated with dung plaster, a screen of dried maize stalks and a thatch roof so it makes it easy to maintain and cheap.

Community Choice Easy to maintain and mend. The water won't run out so it will always be in use.

Self-funded Sewers Wateraid providing technical know-how but the communities themselves are financing intial construction and maintenance & providing labour so they should become easier to maintain.

Mali is one of the most poorest countries in the World so projects have to be cheap and easy to maintain so that the people can maintain themselves. This maybe difficult as usually people would need to be paid to maintain most projects.

There are lots of diseases that have affected many people & water areas so hard to find clean water sources.