BD Exposure

1 - BD exposure

In 2007, the Sahel will be in the centre of the campaign of Broederlijk Delen, the Belgian NGO that sends Wim to Burkina Faso. For the moment eleven Belgians are visiting the partner organisations of BD in Burkina Faso. Last Tuesday (July 11), a visit to Ocades' Water management programme had been planned. The following pictures show you the visit of Leba and Kourouba-Bangare, two villages in which OCADES is active.

2 - Half-moon

LEBA - In Leba, the hard and infertile soil (here, degraded soils are called 'zippellé') forces farmers to be creative. OCADES supports them in experimenting. On this picture, you see the half-moon technique. Manually, the farmer digs a hole of 2 meters long in the form of a half-moon, while constructing a small levee. The water is being retained in the crescent, so even after a long dry spell, the plants won't suffer much drought stress.

3 - zaï

LEBA - 'Zaï' is a widely applied technique in the North-West of Burkina. With a pick, the farmer digs holes of 10 cm deep and 20 cm diameter. He or she adds some compost and puts the seed inside. Once the rains come, the water is retained in the holes. The germinated plants have enough water and minerals to survive the severe growing conditions.

4 - mulched zai

LEBA - This is a picture of intensified zaï. The farmer has added straw to the field in order to protect the soil from the impact of raindrops. Moreover, the soil will loose less water through evaporation.

5 - forage

LEBA - No, we are not talking about animal feed, nor of looting soldiers, but about water pumps. The only water pump of Leba, a village of 1400 souls, is situated nearby the village school. Water pumps fetch the water from great depth (at least 50 meters) and are being installed by drilling, hence the French name 'forage'.

6 - Emmanuel explains

LEBA - Emmanuel - in the middle - is trainer and technician of OCADES, and hence a direct colleague of Wim. Together with the farmers, he guides the visitors and explains OCADES' activities.

7 - drinking trough for the animas

LEBA - a water trough next to the well helps to improve hygienic conditions, as the cattle does not have to come to the well itself to drink. In the rainy season, the animals drink from the pool in the background.

8 - impluvium

LEBA - In Leba, people are experimenting with water butts: the rainwater coming from the roof of the village maternity is being collected and stored. Disadvantage: a water butt costs a lot as cement is quite expensive here (5000 CFA or almost 8 euros per bag).

9 - exchanging

LEBA - The participants to the exposure are discussing with the village committees that are responsible for the management of the water infrastructure.

10 - pousse-pousse

KOUROUBA-BANGARE - When the people have to walk too far to fetch water, it is not always necessary to construct new wells. Sometimes it is better to facilitate water transport. OCADES is experimenting with simple carts. Women can transport four times more water than when carrying it on their head. And it is less tiresome.

11 - at the water pump

KOUROUBA-BANGARE

12 - Drawing water is and remains a women's task

KOUROUBA-BANGARE

13 - looking after the cattle is a children's job

KOUROUBA-BANGARE