2023
For over 20 years, the association Les Puits du Désert has been working in the Agadez region in the north of Niger, a highly desertified area, where it is one of the few French associations to conduct activities in this area.
Its mission is to improve the living conditions of Tuareg communities. In this predominantly desert country, access to water is very limited and is a major daily challenge for the most disadvantaged nomadic and sedentary populations. For the children, direct access to water relieves them of the chore of fetching water, which often takes up several hours a day, thereby paving the way to school.
Since 2004, over 320 wells (pastoral, market garden or village) have been built or refurbished in the Agadez region. The association has also enabled the construction of schools, simple but “hard” buildings (concrete walls, tin roofs and ceilings) that protect the children from the harsh climate. The association is also working to set up school canteens and gardens. It is also working to empower women and give them access to basic healthcare. Working closely with its local partner, the Nigerian NGO TIDENE, Les Puits du Désert has now enabled almost 100,000 very vulnerable people to benefit from this infrastructure.
In 2020, the Bel Foundation supported an initial project to build two market garden wells and two school gardens in two primary schools in the region. In 2022, the Bel Foundation renewed its support for the association to equip two other schools with wells and vegetable gardens, in order to improve canteen supplies.
The Bel Foundation’s support in 2023 will help to improve the nutritional status and schooling of new pupils by setting up two new school gardens in Indoudou and Inghighi, Niger.
What are the project’s expected results?
A total of 270 pupils will have access to one meal per day throughout the school year.
