Mahamadou is from Mali, a country in northwest Africa. Like most people in his village, his family has a small farm. People need water for their crops and their homes, but because Mali is hot and dry, there isn’t a lot of water about. When Mahamadou was little, people had to walk for ages to fetch water. They had to dig holes in the ground to get to it, often just using their hands because they didn’t have spades. It was hard work and dangerous, because the sides of the wells weren’t very strong, and sometimes they collapsed.

But now life is much better. People working for an organisation in Mali called Pel Catholic Mission, know a lot about building wells. They helped the people where Mahamadou lives to build a strong, safe well, close to the village.

This means Mahamadou has clean water to drink, so it doesn’t make him ill. People don’t have to walk miles for water every day, and they have more time and energy for working on their farms. They can now grow more food, so they are healthier. And if they grow more than they need to eat, they can sell what’s left at the market, to buy books for school, and medicines.

Mahamadou is pleased that he doesn’t have to collect water any more. ‘I’m so happy!’ he says. ‘I can go to school now. I’ve got enough to eat and everything I need to study. I’d like to be a teacher when I’m older.'