CoÖperation between FairWaterSprings and Oxfam Novib

More than one third of the world population lives in poverty. Oxfam Novib is a development organisation, fighting for a just world without poverty. Together with people, organisations, businesses and governments. Through projects and lobby. Locally and internationally. The most important cause of poverty is injustice. Everyone is entitled to an honest income, food, health care, education and a secure life. Every human being should be able to let his or her voice speak and is entitled to an own identity. Especially those who are most heavily struck by poverty and injustice: women, children and minorities.

To be entitled to food implies of course to be entitled to drinkingwater. Clean and safe drinkingwater but also sanitation, which means not only hygenic sanitary, but also, for instance, education concerning hygene and maintenance of waterwells.

FairWaterSprings and Oxfam Novib recently started a cooperation, which implies that FairWaterSprings donates 25% of its Gross-profit to Oxfam Novib. Oxfam Novib works with local development organisations in developing countries. These organisations speak the local language and know the culture of that country or specific region. Oxfam Novib supports these partners financially and monitors implementation of their projects. As development is a long term proces, Oxfam Novib and its partners have long term relationships. Eventually both FairWaterSprings and Oxfam Novib strive towards full funding of a water project of Oxfam Novib by FairWaterSprings.

Initially FairWaterSprings will support the finance of a water-project in Mali, STOP-Sahel (MAL-501628-0004663).
Mali has a surface of 1.241.238 km2. Two third of it consists of desert. The dry climate with only now and then rainfall turns Mali into a vulnerable country. 64% of the Malinese people lives under the poverty-line. The area where STOP-sahel works caracterises itself by absolute poverty and few natural resources. That’s why many people emigrate to the bigger cities in Mali.

STOP-Sahel works since 1992 in the Nara-district. This district has a surface of 30.746 km2 and borders Mauritania. Ecologically it is a vulnerable area. As a result of dryness, overcropping, truncating trees for firewood, over-stocking and woodfires the area is under great pressure. Using and abusing the scarce natural resources causes many conflicts among the local tribes. The local population hardly has any access to social basic services such as drinkingwater, health care and education while just these services are a condition to break out of the vicious poverty-circle.

A serious point of attention in the program of STOP-Sahel is preventing people from these conflicts. By means of working out and executing development-plans, in which the use of natural resources is mutually agreed upon, STOP-Sahel tries to regulate the use of natural resources in a sustainable way, so everyone can use them in a sustainable and peaceful way.  

Water plays an important role in the interventions. It is a primary need, but also a reason for conflicts. Nomades, farmers and end-users all claim the present natural water springs. Women and children often have to walk for hours to the nearest waterwell. Arriving there, they have to share the water with the nomadic farmers. Here one loses a lot of time, time which children should actually spend at school and women at income-generating activities.
Besides that, there is oftenlack of water for the vegetable gardens next to the houses. These vegetable gardens contribute to the provision of food, but also to the possibility of generating income for these people
To be able to fulfil demand for sufficient and good quality water for cattle, agriculture and people and as a basis for further development-activities, STOP Sahel together with the local community builds 4 waterwells per year during the project-period. Besides that, there will be wells for cattle and by constructing rainwaterwells the organisation tries to fully optimize the few rain that falls. By efficiënt use of surface-and rainwater one is prevented from a further decline of groundwater-levels as a consequence of irrigation.

Involvement of the population with regard to supervision and maintenance of the water-systems is of great importance. That is why that from the start local people are asked for their active contribution. On the one hand to use their knowledge of the environment and on the other hand to ask for their investments in time, labour and money. In this way one can guarantee that techniques are corresponding with the knowledge and possibilities of the local population, and that these people will see these water-sytems as their property.
Local “supervision-committées” will supervise and maintain these rainwater-systems.

At the end of the project over 25.000 people will have access to safe and clean drinking water. Farmers will also have their own water-points for cattle and access to irrigation-water.

A water-well is costing more than EUR 26.000. A water-point EURO 27.000 and a system for regulating surface- and rainwater EUR 35.000. All amounts include the geophysical examination prior to the construction of the systems.