One of the clean water projects that Brewgooder drinkers made possible in 2021 was the implementation of a rehab well in Mali, Western Africa. This well alone has already provided 14,896,532 litres of clean water to a community of 400 people.
To give further context as to why this project was so pivotal, here's a deeper dive into the water crisis in Mali.
In Mali, less than 30% of the rural population has access to clean water or toilets. Families have little opportunity to protect themselves from diarrhoea and disease, and as a result, Mali has a high rate of infectious disease and one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
Now, with an escalating climate crisis, Mali is facing temperatures that are projected to increase 1.5x higher than the global average. During the day, there’s hardly any escape from the sun. And that’s especially true if you bear the responsibility of finding water for your family.
Fatou Gariko from charity: water's local partner, WASH Specialist, told them “we’ve heard some poignant stories: entire villages having disappeared. We’ve seen people go blind digging wells. People have died going out in search of water. It’s been very difficult for women.”
Communities that don’t have access to clean water often rely on 800-year-old holes in the ground outside their village – contaminated sources that they share with neighbouring communities. Women from all over come to wait in line for hours each day.
Not only is it incredibly time-consuming, but it’s also tedious and physically demanding work.
“You use all your strength to pull water from the well,” a woman called Bintou, living in the Segou region of Mali shared. “Our hands are hard like stone from that rope.” All of that time and energy results in water that makes families sick.
Bintou had been describing her life prior to having access to clean water. Waiting in line for hours each day. Seeing some women sleep next to the well in order to be first the next morning.
And then she talked about the difference a sustainable, clean water source directly in her community made to her life, a life with clean water.
She was animated as she talked about her new business making pottery. How she sells it in nearby villages to buy things like soap and school supplies for her children. How she even has time at the end of the day to rest.
“We are at peace,” she said.
Since 2021, Brewgooder drinkers have unlocked 30,635,934 litres of clean water, and we're just getting started.
