A new solar-powered, clean water well in Mwendo, Burundi is changing lives for the village’s indigenous Batwa community and their surrounding neighbors. From its initial well-bore in the Fall of 2024, to a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony in February of this year, to the present, this well is a powerful step forward for the Batwa people.
A life-changing resource for Mwendo, the Batwa people have also made the conscious choice to share this new access to clean water with their neighbors. As the Batwa rise, they take action to uplift others. This amazing gift to neighbors, made by indigenous people who have historically been thought to be of no value, changes perception and dynamics in profound ways.
People from all over the nearby areas have come to see and experience the incredible blessings and benefits of clean water. Fresh water in Mwendo means girls and women no longer need to face the threat of attack and victimization as they walk hours to collect water each day from contaminated sources. This well ensures their safety, and dramatically improves the health and wellness of the community overall.
The well is also equipped to serve the primary school in Mwendo. Every child now has access to clean water and stays hydrated. A clean water tap next to the teacher’s housing is the collection point for people in the surrounding area. In total, the well is currently serving 450 people.
Thank you BBC Steel and Diana Boyer of Canby, Oregon, for joining African Road with this life-changing clean water project. Together we are changing lives, improving health, and uplifting and affirming the role of the Batwa people of Mwendo in their broader community.
Long time African Road supporter and friend, Diana Boyer of BBC Steel, was able to travel to Burundi with a small African Road team in February 2025 and celebrate the new solar-powered well with Changemaker Evariste and the Mwendo community. Together, Evariste and Diana honored this powerful step forwards for the Batwa people with a joyful ribbon cutting ceremony.