Well number 20
An agricultural village with a difference – most villages have some form of farming but this one has gardens, – many, many gardens. The village has open wells to meet the needs of the gardening but they were starting to dry up and the village was beginning to die. The vegetable plots are like rows of massive allotments, each one weed free and lovingly tended. The well’s benefits are so visible in this village and the future is now assured.
The village has a leadership committee to organize the village affairs. There are a number of very elderly men and a group of younger men and it seems to work well as there is a lot of respect between the generations. The old men advise and the young listen and put the plans into action. The committee has appointed one of their number as the ‘keeper of the well’ and it is his job to see that everything is fair and orderly. He also checks that the pump is efficient and that water is not wasted.
I am sure that this village will be supplying Ouagadougou with vegetables for many years to come.