How Clean Water Access is Transforming Lives in Diapangou, Burkina Faso

The municipality of Diapangou, located in the Gulmu region in the eastern part of the country, is facing growing socio-economic pressures. The arrival of a large number of internally displaced people within the host community has led to a significant increase in water, hygiene and sanitation needs, requiring strengthening of basic services. At the primary school and secondary school, a single hand pump used to serve more than a thousand pupils.

“Before, whenever we needed water, we had to go to a pump that was far away from the classrooms. On top of that, it took a lot of strength to make the water flow. It took up a lot of time and disrupted our lessons,” says Grace, a pupil at the primary school.

To address this situation, World Vision, in partnership with the Regional Directorate in charge of Water, installed a 10 m³ water tower using the school’s manually drilled borehole. This system is connected, on the one hand, to two water points installed near the community and, on the other hand, to two additional water points within the primary school and Diapangou Secondary School, each equipped with four taps.

“Today, with taps right in front of our classrooms, we have water to drink, to water the garden and to clean the blackboard. There is also water available for the school canteen,” Grace added.

According to Guy BANAO, WASH Officer:

“We set up these infrastructures in Diapangou to respond to an urgent need for access to water and sanitation. As a result, children can drink water more easily and use toilets safely thanks to proper handwashing.”

Through these new facilities, more than 1,500 pupils now have access to safe drinking water close to their classrooms.

“Every morning when I come to school, I fill my water bottle before going into class. On days when we have sports activities, I use the tap to wash my feet. And because I have easier access to water, I now have more time to study my lessons. We are really happy,” says Jarod, a pupil at a school in Diapangou.

Near the school, the water points have also brought relief to households:

“When we arrived in Diapangou, accessing water was a real struggle. We had to go far, to a site located behind a very busy road used by motorists. It was dangerous because we were exposed to accidents. Today, we have water almost at our doorstep. It is a real relief. We use this water not only for household chores, but also for our income-generating activities,” explains Chantal, an internally displaced woman.

These WASH infrastructures were implemented as part of the project “Strengthening Humanitarian Assistance and the Protection of Children and Crisis-Affected Communities”, carried out in the municipalities of Kaya (Kuilsé region), as well as Diapangou and Fada N’Gourma (Gulmu region).

Jean Marie Sawadogo, Project Manager, explains:

“This project has supported households in the intervention areas throughout their recovery process. In Fada, Kaya and Diapangou, more than 600 households benefited from food distributions consisting of rice, oil, maize and salt. Hygiene and dignity kits were also distributed to meet their essential needs, as these households had left everything behind during their forced displacement. In addition, in Diapangou, the water supply system that has been put in place now enables thousands of pupils and families to access safe drinking water.”

Through this project, numerous families have gained access to food, safe drinking water, improved hygiene services and protection, with particular attention given to children, women and the most vulnerable households.