FAO Digital Media Hub - SENEGAL 2018. One Million Cisterns for the Sahel Initiative

SENEGAL 2018. One Million Cisterns for the Sahel Initiative

27/07/2018, SENEGAL, DOULI.
Amadou Dioulde Ka, 50 yo, support his wife who is a beneficiary of the program and help her and the other women for the maintenance of the garden, and the cistern. Despite the installation of the cistern, the rainy season hasn't brought enough rain. Everyday a boy of the family has to carry jerricans to the water point few kilometres away to fetch water.
The 15 m3 cisterns are supposed to provide clean drinking water for a family of 8 people during the dry season(7months) as well as an irrigation supplement for homestead gardening of around 10m3.

The family has been identified as vulnerable and benefited from the construction of a cistern. The 15 m3 cisterns are supposed to provide clean drinking water for a family of 8 people during the dry season(7months) as well as an irrigation supplement for homestead gardening of around 10m3.

The One million cisterns for the Sahel project aims to promote and facilitate the introduction of rainwater harvesting and storage systems for vulnerable communities, especially women. The objective is to enable millions of people in the Sahel have access to drinking water, have a surplus to enhance their family agricultural production, improve their food and nutrition security and strengthen their resilience.

This programme has various elements: the cisterns that collect rain water, cash transfers for beneficiaries building the cisterns, provision of highly nutritious seeds, and tools for gardening, and training in climate smart agriculture, water management, better access to markets through,. In Senegal, 10,000 vulnerable women are directly targeted, who are part of 200-300 women's groups. These women have obtained land rights for the first time and have received one cistern to collect water. Before the project, these communities used to only consume meat, cereals and milk. Now that they have access to water, they can also grow vegetables during the dry season. Surplus vegetables are sold in the market. Kids going back to school now as they don't have to help families and fetch water.
There are 2 types of cisterns ? a 50 cubic metre one for 60 women in a farmers' association 2.5 hours form Dakar, and a further 2.5 hours from there, 15 cubic metre cisterns. Women and children previously walked 4 hours a day to fetch water.

12/05/2017

Credit © Benedicte Kurzen/NOOR for FAO

UNFAO Source FAO Photo Library

File size 606.23 KB

Unique ID UF138VS

FAO. Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given.
Photo-Library@fao.org