“My name is Rakiéta Ouédraogo and I come from Boulkon, a partner village of Boulkon Epicenter with THP-Burkina Faso. I am a housewife and my economic activity is to use the loan I received from the epicenter’s microfinance fund to make and sell fried vegetables.
Before the epicenter was created and the borehole installed, we had to walk a long way to get potable water; for some epicenter partners, this could be up to 5 or 10 kilometers away. This made us waste most of our time just walking to and from the well, without mentioning the exhaustion that prevented us from doing our chores at home. Occasionally, we just drank the water from nearby marshes and ponds, which often got those who drank it sick.
All of the women were relieved when the borehole was placed at the epicenter. Their work now takes much less time, and they can devote more time to other activities, such as literacy training or income-generating activities. Furthermore, the diseases from drinking non-potable water, which often caused stomachaches and diarrhea, have decreased. Even women from neighboring villages that still have to travel to use the borehole will come access the clean water; this socialization and solidarity around the epicenter infrastructure has led to many of the women from different villages creating close bonds.”
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June 22, 2012
