THIRD QUARTERLY REPORT

JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH 2008

Water and Education for a Long Life (WELL) Project

006-ML-06

1. INTRODUCTION

Project Location:Kolokani district, Koulikoro region, Mali

Beneficiaries:Approximately 9,150 direct and 54,900 indirect

Length of project:July 2007 to June 2008

Total Budget:88,366.38 Euros

This progress report for WELL Project (Water and Education for a long life), implemented by ADRA Mali and financed by ADRAUniteKingdom, covers the period of July 01^st, 2007 to March 30^th, 2008. Its activities concerned mainly the vulnerable communities which haven’t access of drinkable water in the three rural communities of the region of Kolokani: Nossombougou, Wolodo and Nonkon. Since 1^st of July 2007, the Project has been carrying out its activities according to the proposition which aims to increase the access to clean water, and improve the health practices of the population.

To achieve these goals, the project has been implementing activities like rehabilitation of wells and hygiene and sanitation education through Puppets Theater.

The local authorities and the beneficiaries support the initiative of ADRA Mali since its part of the local government plans to develop the area. The beneficiaries are very motivated and they take part of the rehabilitation of the wells by providing volunteers to work on the rehabilitation of wells. Our main target is women and children for the hygiene and sanitation education because it’s the women that play the main economic and social role in their families.

2. UPDATED ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE GOAL

Goal:

Increase livelihood opportunities.

Purpose:

Increased health status.

Status of Project Activities and Fulfillment of Outputs

Output 1:

Water wells dug/rehabilitated.

Indicator 1: 15 wells dug/rehabilitated

Achieved up to this date: 16 wells rehabilitated

Output 2:

Well maintenance training provided.

Indicator 2: 10 village well committees formed

Achieved up to this date: well committees already in place and formed

Output 3:

Hygiene and sanitation education provided.

Indicator 3: 5,400 people educated

Achieved up to this date: 16 274 people attended the presentation

Wells

The rehabilitation of the 16 wells went well and the villagers collaborated with this project component as planned and expected.The project has achieved more than what was expected and planed in the proposal. This is due to the availability of the material and the wiliness to help from the villagers. We planned in the proposal to also make new wells. This component will start in the next quarter. Presently we are choosing the sites for the new wells, and we envision constructing at least 2 new ones if the budget allows.

The table below shows the villages where the wells were rehabilitated.

Table 1.

Hygiene and Sanitation Education

The team for hygiene and sanitation education continues its puppet programs at the community health centers, schools, informal centers and in the villages for the general population. The participants don’t stop to increase day by day as Mr. Op Op becomes more and more popular. In the villages, the chief of the village and his advisers often go to visit the puppet shows. They support the program because they understand the message and they can easily apply to their daily lives. Teachers appraise the program, since it helps them to educate the children making school more fun for the students, it also encourage students to come to class. Up to this report around 90 programs have been carried out for a total of 16 274 very enthusiastic participants. The project estimates an average of 35% of the population of the three communities who attended at least once the hygiene and sanitation education puppet show.

The team presented the program at least one time in all of the 30 schools of the region, all 3 community health centers and in many villages where they organized the presentation to target specifically the women’s group and the children who are not attending school.

The hygiene and sanitation program through the puppets is a success in the Malian context. The target communities were in need of such education and approach that is easy to understand, participatory, and attractive for all social levels. It teaches people in their native language with easily assimilated examples. Everywhere where the program goes it is asked to come back for a second presentation.

World Vision Mali has solicited ADRA Mali to perform the program in all their ADPs (Area Development Programs). ADRA Mali accepted the invitation and a contract was signed between ADRA and World Vision and the work is progressing well.

3. ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

The WELL project is moving ahead very well towards its goals without major problems. Since the beginning of the project we had some problems with the rainy season and the resignation of the hygiene and sanitation facilitator, but these topics were already discussed in the previous reports. The new facilitator is doing fine and he enjoys presenting the program.

During the months of January and February the two vehicles designated to the project had some breakdowns. The Toyota Hillux had to change the diesel pump due to the quality of the fuel that they used to buy in the area. Right now we send fuel in a 200 liter barrow every month. The big truck had a breakdown traveling with gravel from Bamako to Nossombougou, and had to be rescued by the Land Cruiser.

Another small problem was the batteries that were bought to produce energy for the sound system. They became empty and impossible to charge. This time we opted to use a small generator to produce the energy for the sound system.

Thankfully all small obstacles that we faced were easy to manage and the project is able to continue its journey until the end.

4. HUMAN INTERESTED STORY

Everywhere I go, I hear the villagers’ testimony about the impact of this project on their lives, like Mr NGolo Diarra and Mrs Setou Diarra. They’re both Bambara, like the majority of people on this region.

The Bambara are a large subgroup of the Mande people (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke) of West Africa. They make up thirty-five percent of the population of Mali. The name Bambara means "those who refuse to be ruled". The Bambara people rank high in regard to the ethnic groups in Mali. This is mainly because their language is spoken as a trade or common language by the people of Mali.

The majority of the Bambara are rural farmers. Their staple crops are millet, sorghum, peanuts and rice in the lowlands. They raise corn, tobacco, cassava and cotton as cash crops. Drought and ecological damage has hurt the crop production for many years. Most farmers try to raise enough food to feed their families each year, but usually fall short.

The family is the most important aspect of a person's life. Family relationships are central to the social and cultural life of the Bambara. Women and female children are considered as property. The family follows a patriarchal system and the men practice polygamy. (Islam allows a man to have four wives.) Marriages are arranged to help strengthen relationships in and between villages. The extended family is very large and most of the family lives close together.

Life revolves around the farm and the seven-month period of planting and harvest. Though it is mandatory for all children under 15 years of age to attend school, rural children, if they are able to attend school, do not usually stay in school long because of the work demands on the farm.

I was visiting Komoba, in the Nonkon commune, on March 18, 2008 and Mr Diarra shared his contentment with me regarding this project. Diarra is 61 years old and he was born in Komoba, where he got married and lives with his family up to this day. He has just one wife and has 5 children.

“The rehabilitation of our village well by ADRA Mali is great blessing,” he says energetically “we had this old well right at the middle of our village that was well located but in terrible conditions. It was also dangerous for our children and animals, since it was just an open whole on the ground. During the rainy season, we had water there but otherwise it was just an useless well. After the rehabilitation we have a functional and brand new well, our well, right in the middle of our village! Now the children can also play freely without us worrying that they may fall on the black whole that used to be there.”

Click to view map with wells