Moulaye is now safe from diarrhea
Access to clean water is sometimes a synonym of healthy life for all human beings including children. Unfortunately, in developing countries, especially in Mali, many children suffer or die of diseases related to drinking unsafe water.
For many years, 19-year-old Moulaye a grade 12 final year pupil, has been facing challenges related to lack of clean water.
“I come from the Bozo people, a traditional fishing tribe in my community. My parents make a living from fishing. We do almost all of our household activities like washing clothes and cooking using well and river water,” Moulaye said.
He lives with his parents at Djénédaga village, located near river Bani - which means the small river- next to Mopti town. His mother, 55-year-old Fatoumata shared her community's experience.
“I have lived in Djénédaga since 1991, my life has been very difficult here because every year I spend almost everything I earn through my income-generating activities to treat my children when they are suffering from diarrhea. Do you think that it is possible for a human being to be healthy when drinking dirty water? " she said.
World Vision water sanitation and hygiene project funded by Procter & Gamble (P&G) addressed the clean water access challenge by distributing water purification kits to 480 households in the Mopti region. Moulaye's family was one of the beneficiaries.
The aim of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the health and the well-being of vulnerable children and families. The beneficiaries received the water purification kits and they were showed how to use them Moulaye’s mother explains.
“When receiving the kits we did not know how to use them, but with the demonstrations, I was very amazed by how dirty the water we used to drink was. I could not imagine the amount of dirt that was in the water from the river,” she said.
This project has enabled families, such as Moulaye's to have access to drinking water through practical and affordable treatment.
“This water purifier is a gift from the sky for me, because beyond its domestic use, it is manna from the Lord that has wiped tears off the faces of women who took their children to the health center every year due to waterborne related diseases,” said Moulaye’s mother.
“Now I am very happy I drink clean water. There were days that I missed school because I was suffering from diarrhea due to drinking dirty water. Thanks to the clean water, my life has changed,” added Moulaye. Regrettably, several children in Moulaye’s village had a similar experience.