YOUNG GIRLS CARRYING BUCKETS IN DOGON COUNTRY

Not everyone has the privilege of living near a water source. Imagine walking for hours every day just to fetch water. I have seen it time and time again—women and even children exhausting themselves, carrying thirty-liter buckets on their heads.
Eight hundred million people lack access to safe drinking water. What could be more essential than bringing them water—freeing them from this grueling burden? In the Kayes region of southwestern Mali, one of the hottest places on Earth, the struggle for water is relentless.
One woman describes the daily hardship: "From here to the river, it’s a long and exhausting journey. I cross three ponds. I make this trip three, four, even five times in the morning—and sometimes again in the afternoon. The walk is difficult. Leeches cling to our feet. Sometimes, on the way back from the river, you fall. But you have to go back anyway. The river water isn’t clean, but we have no other choice. I drink it reluctantly. I’m always afraid it will make my children sick—or worse. But I have never tasted clean water. I couldn’t even tell you what it tastes like."
Gérard Roso has likely dug more wells than anyone else in the world—nearly 4,000 across Africa. He has adapted oil industry drilling techniques to extract water. For the past two years, he has worked in Mali as a volunteer with the Eau Claire association. Reflecting on his work, he shares: "I know that when I leave a village after bringing water, it matters. And in a way, I feel I’m giving back something to the people who have given me so much."
He has seen firsthand how access to water transforms lives: "Every time I arrive in a village, I face a challenge. Every time I arrive, there is doubt. But every time, I hope."
Now that their village has clean water, the women feel a deep sense of responsibility. One of them explains: "As the village spokesperson, I will ask all the women here to take care of this well. We suffered so much before we had clean water. I encourage them to protect it—because it is precious."

Excerpt from the film A Thirsty World
by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Baptiste Rouget-Luchaire, and Thierry Piantanida
© 2012 Hope Production