Fighting Poverty and Securing Livelihoods in the Sahel through better Management of the Environment
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Sahel ECO works in the districts of Bankass, Tominian and Mopti near the border with Burkina Faso. We focus on supporting local people through training and capacity building so that they can better manage the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend. Our experience has shown that given access to training, information and capital, disadvantaged rural people are capable of analysing their own problems and deciding which solutions they wish to pursue. SOS Sahel UK continues to raise funds, support and advocate for this work.
In the early 1990s local communities in Bankass identified access to adequate quantities of clean water as a priority need. More than 40 large diameter concrete lined wells were dug with support from SOS Sahel UK between 1993 and 2006.
This report covers progress in the two years from January 2007 to December 2008. During this time support from Jiton, Jersey Overseas Aid, SOS Sahel UK, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund has enabled Sahel ECO to continue this work and to make a significant change to the lives of some of the thousands of people living in small and isolated communities in Bankass who are still obliged to walk more than a kilometre to the nearest secure and safe water supply.