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Paths
of Native Africa, a Non-profit group in San Francisco, intends to initiate
a fundraising benefit at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco; in order to buy
and install water pumps in Mali, West Africa. We are informed and believe
that the pumps are needed to reduce the risks of many of the infants and
villagers dying, and others becoming ill, as a result of the lack of water
during the annual drought.
THE SITUATION:
For various groups
working to relieve the water problems in Mali, conditions of life in
villages are often reported as harsh, as seen in the following sobering
statistics recently reported by Engineers Without Borders-USA: "The
villagers do not have access to clean water or electricity...About half of
the village children die by the age of five due to poor sanitation and
hygiene." The World Factbook, 2002 estimates the population of Mali
to be over 11.34 million, with a life expectancy of only 47.3 years.
Obviously, water pumps would supply clean, available water from
underground sources and would make a very big difference,
by saving many,
many, many lives in the villages of Mali. The People of Mali need
your help!
The Bandiagara
Escarpment containing Dogon Villages such as Tereli, Sangha, Caro and
Ogolei, are mainly tourist sites, which have received some help with their water problems, from such countries as France, Germany and Japan.
Beyond these sites, however, most remaining villages (some only a few
hours to a few days walk away), are rarely visited by tourists, and have
not received help with their water problems. Paths
of Native
Africa, Inc., now plans to focus intense water-projects-efforts on these
"2nd-line" villages. The villages of Amani, Ireli, Bongo
are among those we intend to assist.
During August through
November, the annual drought is severest, and often leads to many, many
deaths in Mali. This fact is documented in our brochure, attached hereto.
We believe that several live concerts, dance and other stage performances
would raise some of the funds needed to assist us in this urgent, critical
endeavor.
A SOLUTION:
A popular pump is the
MARK II Deep Well Hand Pump, accepted internationally as one of the most
reliable and sturdy pumps originating from a developing country, made in
India by Meera & Ceiko Pumps Pvt. Ltd., and costing about $900.
Depending on the demand and load, each well serviced by such a pump can
handle between 50 - 400 people. A village typically consists of 350 - 600
people, made up of families of 8 - 30 members. In the "Bandiagara
Escarpment area map showing Dogon Country villages" shown on page 1
of our brochure (attached hereto), there are roughly 20 villages and 20
smaller settlements of from typically 70 - 100 people each.
As you may well
understand, our organization is fully volunteered and non-profit. As such,
no one in our organization is being paid, nor will be paid neither for
his/her time, labor nor for any efforts expended on this project.
Your brothers and
sisters of The Dogon of the Bandiagara Escarpment and other tribes of Mali
can survive the upcoming annual drought with your help!
We hope you will join
the volunteer efforts of PATHS OF NATIVE AFRICA, Inc in the production of
a series of wildly successful music and dance festivals and concerts by
performers from the "AFRICAN DIASPORA". The proceeds from these
successful benefits would purchase and install water pumps in the Villages
of Mali. Besides saving lives, installing the water pumps will help
to preserve the unique cultures of Mali and the Dogon tribal way-of-life,
in particular.
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