225 new sources bring clean water to 59,000

New boreholes, pumps and water storage tanks flow from Plan's work in Dosso. Working with government agencies and communities, 225 drinking water sources have been built around Dosso, providing water for 59,000 people. Now each of the 36 sponsored children’s villages has a source of clean drinking water. 

Twenty-nine villages have a ground level water storage tank with a solar-paneled pump pulling fresh water from deep underground. These tanks typically supply 4 to 8 faucets spread around so villagers can get water without a long queue. Plan has also installed 23 hand-powered pumps and 37 cemented wells with a protective area around them to keep livestock and other animals at a distance.

Plan has constructed nearly 2,000 latrines in Dosso region, providing villagers with an option to using their fields, where sponsored children and their parents typically walk barefoot. Four dozen latrines have been installed beside sponsored children’s schools in Dosso, including separate stalls for boys and girls, to reduce the shame girls can feel in this conservative culture. Sixteen of the latrines built were near local health clinics in Dosso, and over 1,800 more in sponsored children’s homes and neighborhoods. Eight blocks of three latrines each recently have been built in Tillabery, where Plan Niger this year started work in 14 more villages.