When you arrive in Atotchi in summer, the first thing you hear is the quiet hum of the pump. Then the sound that was unknown here before: running water. And then you see women who no longer return with canisters on their heads — instead they fill them and start their day a metre further on.
What's changed.
The numbers are part of it: 12,000 litres of clean water per day, three tap points, zero running energy costs thanks to solar. Cases of water-borne illness reported at the local health post have dropped many times over.
But the real report is what mothers and teachers said in the first weeks: that children arrive at school well-rested, that attendance has risen — especially among girls who used to be sent to fetch water. And that women suddenly have time for other activities.
— Spokesperson, Atotchi water committee
How the community built it.
Our share of this project was money, solar modules and technical specialists. Atotchi's share was everything else. The community provided land, organised construction, pays the ongoing maintenance and set up a water committee that manages the installation to this day.
It's slower than a system planned and executed by outsiders. But it's Atotchi's well. If we stopped tomorrow, it would carry on. That's what "help towards self-help" means when it's more than a phrase in a charter.
What comes next.
The installation has run stably since handover. The water committee reports quarterly to the community. For 2024 a follow-up project is planned: two additional tap points for the growing community plus a second solar array for redundancy.
If you'd like to support follow-up projects like this, you'll find the donation link below.