Water and management committees strengthened in Ouéléni (Burkina Faso)

Founded in 1999, Hamap-Humanitaire is an NGO that focuses on the development of land and water resources. It works with local organizations to implement water, sanitation and agricultural projects, promoting an environmentally-friendly approach. In its WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) programs, Hamap-Humanitaire favors an approach based on sustainable management of facilities, and proposes to strengthen the skills of the players involved. In particular, it runs a project in Burkina Faso, in conjunction with the French commune of Autun (Burgundy).

A problem in the Ouéléni commune

In Burkina Faso, access to drinking water is hampered by three factors: the low level of functionality of hydraulic structures, the lack of operationalization of stakeholders, and the fragility of water services. Ouéléni, one of the eight communes of the Léraba province, is not immune to these difficulties. However, it benefits from its privileged cooperation with Autun, a French town in the Saône-et-Loire region. Both parties have taken up the issue, drawing on the experience of Hamap-Humanitaire.

Infrastructure and improved management

A drinking water supply system and five boreholes are planned in several of the 17 villages that make up the Ouéléni commune. A study is being carried out to refine the hydrogeological information and to conduct a survey.

The creation of these infrastructures will be accompanied by awareness-raising workshops for the commune's inhabitants, to train the new generation in water and sanitation issues. Hamap-Humanitaire has not forgotten the management committees who will be responsible for running the facilities and ensuring the viability of the service. Training will be offered to them. The challenge is to project the infrastructures that will be built in the decades to come, and to ensure their durability in the daily lives of Ouéléni's inhabitants.