A Look into the World of Water in Mali

Source: Tara Todras-Whitehill/ WaterAid

The Malian village of Diatoula, Mali, a West African country with 4.9 million people, a third of the population, lacking safe water. But 75% of Mali’s people don’t have adequate sanitation. Tara Todras Whitehill, with WaterAid, angles her camera lens at state of water in villages throughout Mali, and across Western Africa, and how people, mostly women and children, gather it for their families. A health clinic has a kiosk with a pump that provides water for the entire area, about 60,000 residents. Tanks near the kiosk also hold water, which is then pumped to the roof and subsequently pumped into sinks in the delivery room, and to the local school.

The water services have also provided income and stability for many women in the area, including Sitan Coulibaly who manages and sells the water.

‘Everyone comes to get water from here,’ she says. ‘It’s made a big difference. It’s my great pleasure to help the community,’ Coulibaly says

You can view the whole gallery, courtesy of The Guardian, here.