Children and women are tasked with water-fetching chores most often. Bringing clean water closer means more children like these can spend more time on their schoolwork. We strategically position water taps near schools, dwellings, clinics, marketplaces, and churches where people can access them more easily during the day.
The Gazelle Foundation has an interactive map of all the gravity fed, clean water systems we have completed in Southwestern Burundi. We partner with local communities, hire villagers, purchase supplies, and manage the project locally with a dedicated, experienced project manager.
High-impact, low-tech water systems use gravity to capture water at its source. Each system filters and collects clean water before it is distributed through hand-dug metal water pipes across miles (or kilometers) across hills and valleys. Water systems are labor-intensive to build and when complete reduce the average distance to clean water from 4 miles to 400 meters, about a quarter-mile.
Explore Our Interactive Map of Water Systems in Rural Burundi
These water systems are possible because of generous donations from people like you! Just $30 gives an individual permanent access to clean water. See the 7 steps we take to building a spring-fed, gravity-powered clean water system in Burundi.
WE BUILD-IN SUSTAINABILITY
When you work in a country that lacks basic infrastructure, it presents challenges to accomplish lasting, meaningful work. Because of our local ties in Burundi and the experience of our Co-founder Gilbert Tuhabonye, we can build water systems more quickly and efficiently.
The lack of paved roads and electricity don’t stop us from bringing clean water systems to communities in need. We partner with local communities before any work starts and hire skilled masons and plumbers from the community. This way, every community has the knowledge and know-how to care for their water system for life.
When the system is complete, a handover ceremony marks the official transfer of ownership to the community. Community members assign maintenance duties for each water storage tank and tap stand to individual families who are invested in protecting their new clean water supply. Since 2006, we have had a 100% success rate keeping those water taps flowing.
Learn more about the sustainability features we build in to each clean water system we build in Burundi.
““When clean water comes to a village, it’s a celebration of life.” ”
Building water systems is back-breaking work, but the payoff is huge. Clean water means better health, more education, and most of all, hope for the entire community.