The Source of Our Water

by John Bidwell, Segou, Mali

During the rainy season (July–September), the stream next to Nampossela is used to wash clothes, but most people get their water from one of the many village wells. The most popular are the ones repaired by the Peace Corps. This is due not only to the fact that they are safer and provide cleaner water, but that they are centrally located and rarely dry up. For drinking water, almost everybody uses one of the village's three pumps. A pump is the best source for clean water. At the height of the dry season when most of the wells are dry, the pumps get a lot of use and can break.