1. Various shots, Gandafabou camp
2. Wide shot, refugee women walking
3. Wide shot, refugee family sitting
4. Tilt down, refugee mother giving water to her child
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Moutah AG Mahamed, Camp Leader:
“The biggest problem we have has to do with water.”
6. Wide shot, Farigh Walat Ali walking
7. Med shot, Farigh preparing the water distribution
8. Wide shot, refugee women trying to get water
9. Med shot, refugee women trying to get water
10. SOUNDBITE (Bambara) Farigh Walat Ali, Malian Refugee:
“What you have witnessed happens daily. We lack water here. Every morning the truck brings water but only the first there benefit. Often the last ones only get a few drops of what is left in the bladder and that is not enough. Now we will have to wait until 6 in the morning. Hygiene is an issue. We risk diseases.”
11. Various shots, UNHCR staff meeting the camp leaders
12. Wide shot, Gandafabou camp
13. Med shot, refugee children drinking water
14. Close up, refugee girl drinking water

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Storyline

Gandafabou is a small village in northern Burkina Faso. In this isolated region of the Sahel, there are now over 3,000 Malian refugees.

The living conditions are hard and natural resources are scarce, particularly water.

SOUNDBITE (French) Moutah AG Mahamed, Camp Leader:
“The biggest problem we have has to do with water.”

Farigh Walat Ali wages a daily battle to get the water her family needs.

Water trekking, delivering water by truck, gives about seven liters for each family per day.

To meet daily needs 15-20 liters are needed.

Two water trucks drive for hours back and forth, twice a day, to fill up the bladders, but still it’s not enough.

SOUNDBITE (Bambara) Farigh Walat Ali, Malian Refugee:
“What you have witnessed happens daily. We lack water here. Every morning the truck brings water but only the first there benefit. Often the last ones only get a few drops of what is left in the bladder and that is not enough. Now we will have to wait until 6 in the morning. Hygiene is an issue. We risk diseases.”

Humanitarian agencies, including UNHCR, have looked for other local sources of water.

What water they found was contaminated with nitrates, and so the search continues.

For the time being the refugees must rely on their sense of solidarity and share what water they have.