Time well spent

Mary Chukle, who is a mother of five, moved to the village of Takkas in the Plateau state of Nigeria twenty years ago when she married.  Here she explains how the water, sanitation and hygiene education project in her community has impacted on her family's health and livelihoods.

"Before we got the well it was very difficult to get water every day.  We had to trek down to the river with the children and it took up to two hours.  Since the well, life is much better for the women in the village.

"After COWAN (WaterAid's partner) came and talked to us about sanitation and hygiene, my family decided to build a latrine.  We dug the pit ourselves and bought a slab.  We are still working on building the structure.

On Wednesdays I sell some of my goods at the local Takkas market. None of this would have been possible if I was still spending hours every day collecting water.

"Having a latrine is much better than going to the bush.  The only place for women to find privacy was in the ticking bushes and these have sharp nettles so we would often scratch ourselves badly.

"I also learned the importance of keeping my house clean. I have always known that dirt is unhealthy and have tried to keep myself and my family clean.  Because of this, I think, my children suffered much less illness than others, but still I was always interested in any tips I received and appreciated very much the instructions from COWAN.

"I have a pot at home.  When I am finished with it I wash it and cover it.  I have always done this.  But I did not know the importance of always using soap.  The amount of illness in children in the village has been drastically reduced.

"Because of the time I save now from not having to get water the old way, I am able to work more and could apply for a loan to buy a small village shop which I now run.

"I go to the bigger markets and buy some things like soap and pomade which I sell for a small profit.  I buy the soap in large blocks and cut it into smaller pieces.  I want to make sure there is somewhere in the village for people to buy soap.

"I also sell salt and sugar and soft drinks and bread and other dry goods.  On Wednesdays I also sell some of my goods at the local Takkas market.  None of this would have been possible if I was still spending hours every day collecting water."