Water Well Project in Niger Brings Water to Support Economic Development:

The Tidéne Association's Access to Water Enhances Quality of Life

The Tidéne Association is a non-governmental organizational located in the Aderbissinate region of northern Niger.  This area, in the Sahel at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, is home to a number of pastoralist communities.  These nomadic herders live in one of the most arid places on the planet and depend on a network of 50-year old water wells, most in disrepair.  This adds to the difficulty of life in the desert, requiring continual and distant travel of up to 20 miles to retrieve sufficient water to survive for just two days. Access to water supply is a life and death issue for the 12,000 people living in this part of Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world.

The Tidéne Association, an organization experienced in bringing water to this desert region, approached USADF seeking support for a proposed well rehabilitation project.  With USADF support, the Tidéne Association is improving water supply by constructing, repairing, and deepening 14 wells throughout this remote area.  In addition to being deeper, the new wells will be lined with concrete and covered on top, providing a more reliable and cleaner source of water for the communities of Aderbissinat. 

Improved access to water will enhance the quality of life for these pastoralist communities.  It also will allow them to maintain their traditional way of life – tending their herds, maintaining their caravan trade routes, and preserving traditional customs.

The USADF Difference:
USADF is working with groups of nomadic people attempting to maintain their way of life and preserve their traditional culture.  These people live in remote desert areas difficult to reach and often unwelcoming to outsiders.  By helping these pastoral communities to build new and improve existing water wells, USADF is not only improving their quality of life, improving health conditions and expanding access to life-giving water, but it also is preventing the death of a unique culture and lifestyle.

..........For more information about USADF projects in Niger, click here.

The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) is a United States Government agency dedicated to expanding access to economic opportunity in Africa. Currently USADF operates in 20 African nations. Over the past 25 years, USADF has directly funded nearly 1,500 African projects representing in excess of $150 million in support of African enterprises and local African communities.

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