Link to photo album about the Pompe Bleue Mali
If you have any questions or ideas that could help improve this initiative, call or send an email to Foundation Dogon Education: pompebleuemali@dogononderwijs.nl
Contact person is Jan Joost Peskens for Foundation Dogon Education, +31 6 41821105
Donating directly is also possible:
Stichting Dogon Onderwijs: IBAN NL27INGB0004538261
When transferring, mention Pompe Bleue Mali and your entire donation will be used for the water project in the Dogon area.
The problem of broken pumps
There are thousands of wells and pumps in the Dogon area. It is almost the only supply of drinking water in this dry area that spans about 1500 km² with 400.000 inhabitants. About 60% of the wells do not give water; they are either dried out or the pump is broken.
Many of the wells and pumps have been donated by NGO’s that disappeared after the well’s construction. The maintenance of the well is not regulated and often there is no money for reparations. Consequently, nobody wants to be responsible for the upkeep.
In general, NGO’s would rather build a new pump than maintain old ones.
We want a sustainable water supply in the Dogon area. A water supply that is being sustained by the local communities. When the water supply breaks down, there needs to be money and expertise to repair the well or pump. Therefore, in our system, the villages buy the pump and the inhabitants pay a small amount for its use, due to which the villages own the pump themselves and have to maintain it.
The reliable Blue Pump
The Blue Pump (www.fairwater.org) is a Dutch manual pump which went through a long process of development in order to make it simple, strong and easily manageable. The Blue Pump is three times better than the more common pumps in Mali: more durable, lighter in use and better service. In most cases the Blue Pump may be placed in an existing well or it may replace a broken pump. This way, there is no need to dig or drill new holes. The Blue Pump is more expensive to purchase than most pumps but it is a solid long-term investment. We are convinced that our project of water security in the Dogon area is feasible and affordable when making use of the Blue Pump. If a lot of Blue Pumps can be placed, we may be able to speak of a Blue Wave – exactly what we want.
Paying for the pump and water
An important part of our idea is that we do not donate the pump but that the community buys and pays it off over a period of 10 years. De pump will be delivered with a maintenance contract. The village is the actual owner of the pump and is therefore responsible for its usage and maintenance.
Right now a Technical School is being built in Sangha, in the middle of the Dogon area. Everyone who is involved, from the Ministry of Education to the students and parents, agrees that the School should be concerned with practical education, tuning in to local needs. The School will provide a separate training program focused on the Blue Pump technicalities and the entrepreneurship necessary to start and run a Blue Pump business. When the Blue Wave starts, they will immediately have work.
The villagers thus have to start paying for the water they use. This is quite new but is more and more common in Mali. The government established the maximum prize of 10 Cfa (1,5 euro cents) per 10 liters of water. The money that is raised this way, is collected into a fund with which the pump may be paid off, as well as maintained, and there is a possibility of saving for a new pump. Employment is also created, as someone needs to collect the water fees. So even though people have to pay for their water, the money directly benefits themselves and the community.
A cautious calculation
– A Blue Pump costs about 3000 euros, including transportation and installment. It will be sold to the villages for 2000 euros.
– One Pump can serve a community of about 200 people that use 15 liters of water every day. That is approximately 1 million liters of water each year.
– Every year 1600 euros can be raised this way.
– The waterman (collecting fees at the pump) earns 600 euros every year. The maintenance contract costs 100 euros per year. The pump will be paid off in 10 years; so 200 euros need to be paid every year. This means 700 euros is saved every year.
– In short, within 3 years there will be enough money to buy another pump. The villages decide
We believe it to be extremely important for the villages to establish an organization or committee that is responsible for maintaining the pump and the finances of the water supply. A small umbrella committee will be able to facilitate these organizations. Together with the villages we will work out the information supply, the maintenance contract and the financial administration. We will make use of our expertise and the contacts Foundation FairWater has in West Africa, among others in Burkina Faso.
We are intent on realizing a system that is self-sufficient and completely managed by the village itself. With our long-standing experience with water supply in the Dogon area, we are convinced that this plan is realizable and that water security will be enhanced a great amount. This will mainly benefit the hardworking women and children that usually are responsible for their family’s water supply. Our plan will also improve hygiene as the wells are closed off, which means that the risk of contamination is considerably less than with the regular wells.
The village community will be solely responsible for the water supply and can even make money this way, which may then be spent on other (social) projects.
500 pumps in 10 years
The water supply problem in the Dogon area is substantial. De population continues to grow. Without water security not everyone will want to remain in the Dogon. For this reason, we have large ambitions. Not just a couple of pumps, but 100 pumps in 5 years and 500 pumps in 10 years. Before the system becomes self-sustaining, money is needed for purchasing the first pumps, transportation, establishing a training program for the implementation companies, as well as for local support and instruction.
Budget estimate for 5 years:
– Purchasing and transporting 100 Blue Pumps (200.000 euros) *
– Resource office and spare parts storage (25.000)
– Designing the training program for pump techniques and entrepreneurship (25.000)
– Local instruction, support and financial control (25.000)
– Expertise from the region and the Netherlands (25.000)
Total: 300.000 euros.
Per year: 60.000 euros.
*) A pump costs 3000 euros but in 5 years 100.000 euros will have been paid off, which is deducted in this calculation.
Despite our experience and well-informed estimates, this new way of supplying water remains a bit uncertain. We can only become more certain about its effectiveness by starting with the project. The first 5 pumps are already in Mali. Similarly to the Blue Pump organization, we will continue developing until the project is indeed sustainable and functions without outside aid.
The virtuous circle of developments
This is not a project to be finished within a year. On the contrary, in order to guarantee the project’s durability it is crucial that a lot of knowledge is accumulated and that the local communities take hold of the idea. Only then can the amount of pumps grow from just a couple in the first year to hundreds in the years to follow.
To get the project rolling, we need sponsors. Sponsors that are interested in a new and challenging form of development aid where the local communities’ entrepreneurship is of central importance.
With every 3000 euros being donated, one pump can be installed by the local organization in Mali.
Those 3000 euros will put a whole range of developments in motion (the virtuous circle). From the revenue of the sold water, money will return to the village and new pumps can be bought.
With your contribution you will:
– Make possible the start of Pompe Bleue Mali in the Dogon area
– Contribute to the virtuous circle of developments
CONTACT
Pompe Bleue Mali is initiated by Foundation Dogon Education and Foundation Bloemendaal Dogon. We use the knowledge and experience of foundation FairWater, who developed the pump and the distribution network. A knowledgeable and motivated team from Association Dogon Initiatives is already in Mali and will perform the local activities.
If you have any questions or good ideas that may help improve the initiative, call or send an email to Foundation Dogon Education: pompebleuemali@dogononderwijs.nl
Our contact person is Jan Joost Peskens for Foundation Dogon Education, +31-641821105
Donating directly is also possible:
Stichting Dogon Onderwijs: IBAN NL27INGB0004538261
When transferring, mention Pompe Bleue Mali and your entire donation will be used for the water project in the Dogon area.
FairWater
The Blue Pump is developed by Paul van Beer at FairWater and will be manufactured by Boode BV. Boode is a world leader in fabricating ‘High Quality PVD Water Well Casing and Screen Systems’. Boode has been manufacturing the Blue Pump since 2010 and has also set up a reliable distribution network. 12 African countries are now home to more than 1000 pumps that provide safe drinking water for more than 500.000 people.
FairWater is registered in the Netherlands as a Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and has its head office in Amsterdam.