Over 60% of Water Sources Across Africa are Failing …. “For many years the failure rate had been attributed to technological reasons alone. It has now become clear that social and institutional factors play equally important roles. The critical question to ask is no longer solely, “Why do water supplies fail?”, but “Why do they fail and why haven’t communities or service providers kept them running?” (RWSN) Providing water to communities in Africa has historically been challenging for many reasons. The litany of failed hand-pumps scattered across Africa is extremely disturbing, both for the community and for the original donors who have invested their time and resources in providing a water solution for the community. Time for a Different Approach! Being based locally and permanently within Africa has enabled Water for Africa, a UK based charity to develop a new model, which we believe that governments, NGO's and private sponsors should be investing in. It has enabled us to provide a permanent level of support and service to the communities we work with, We can assist with major repairs and spare part replacements, after the work has been completed. It is imperative that permanent support is provided to the communities on the ground,after all, we should not expect communities to be able to be independent and completely self-sufficient, when we in the developed world receive and pay for services which are maintained, upgraded and supported. As well as being able to provide communities with support from the ‘Water for Africa’ team based in Africa, we also ensure that joint cooperation and agreement with the community to ring-fence community contributions are put in place. This will ensure funding for future repairs, service and upgrades is always put in place and a long-term follow up programme to monitor and evaluate the impact of the new programme on the community. As well as providing the long-term infrastructure, we also believe that donors should be investing in drilling boreholes, rather than hand-dug open wells. Boreholes are safe and upgradable, which means that they can be upgraded from a simple hand-pump to provide a full scale irrigation system for horticulture/agriculture or standpipes/taps across the whole community. A new and different, sustainable water system is needed. We should not be abandoning communities once the water has been given, as it will eventually be taken away again and can have a devastating impact on the community and new generations. Likewise, we should be providing a water source that can support the whole community out of poverty, through agriculture, health and education. Boreholes can achieve this. Join us, in our journey. www.waterforafrica.org.uk