Children, nomads and herders manage water

Maintaining water sources is as important as installing them. Long before construction begins, Plan involves community members in discussion and planning. A steering committee includes women, youth, and elementary school students. In Niger, they usually include nomads and herders living just outside the village’s perimeter.

All members are trained in budgeting, management and conflict resolution. The communities help finance water infrastructure projects, and contribute to a fund for future maintenance and upkeep. A water source may also need repairmen. Maintenance tasks include:

• maintaining the solar panels which supply energy to pump water up into above-the-ground storage tanks
• fixing and keeping operational other kinds of water systems (e.g., hand pump, cemented well)
• draining the water tank and cleaning it periodically
• collecting a small fee from each villager who uses the water source
• and reading the meter to track water usage

All of which helps to ensure the community keeps its clean water flowing longer.