Improving access to water and sanitation and hygiene practices in Mali
“In our village there is only one water pump that is out of order. We were forced to resort to using water from the river, which is not safe for drinking,” says mother-of-two Fadimata, who lives in Circle of Gourma Rharous, Mali. That changed when Islamic Relief repaired water sources in her area. Over 8,000 local people gained reliable access to clean drinking water, while more than 5,700 benefited from a greater understanding of good hygiene.
“Our community was unaware that a lack of hygiene and sanitation is the source of many diseases that we contracted, such as diarrhoea and malaria. With Islamic Relief we learned a lot about good hygiene and sanitation practices,” explains Fadimata, who is a member of a newly-formed and trained village committee. In addition, the project helped make women and girls safer by creating gender-sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene services, including separate latrines for men and women.
