Jennifer Thompson's List: Disparities and change

• In rural Niger, 64 per cent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. Many people drink pond water that is shared with livestock, is contaminated by guinea worms and registers high levels of chemicals such as fluoride and nitrates.

   

• Through its ‘WASH’ (for water, sanitation and hygiene) strategy, UNICEF works with governments, non-governmental organizations and local communities to support the installation and maintenance of improved water systems.

   
• Over the past two years, for example, UNICEF has supported the construction and rehabilitation of 116 boreholes and 41 cemented wells in Niger, benefiting 235,000 people. Over $2 million has been allocated in 2006 to provide 120,000 people (including 60,000 women and 24,000 children under the age of five) with better access to drinking water and adequate sanitation.

• UNICEF also has installed a solar-powered water pump in the village of Guidan Gazobi, supplying safe water to a population of more than 3,000 people via seven easily accessible pumps throughout the village. 

   

• Before the water system in Guidan Gazobi was set up, says UNICEF Programme Assistant Anne Ouedraogo, “we had many water related problems in this village such as diarrhoea, and the women had to travel to outside the village to collect water.” With the system in place, she notes, women’s water chores have become far less time-consuming, and the community has seen a significant reduction in waterborne diseases.

   

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