Lassa Off The Beaten Path

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There is no running water in the village, so all the water has to be collected from the nearby well. I say nearby, it is nearly two miles to walk to the well. The walk there isn’t too bad of course; it’s the walk back, carrying the heavy water, which is the hard part. This is a task which is mainly carried out by the women of the village and young teenage girls. The water is usually carried in large metal bowls on their heads. No wonder the women in West Africa have such wonderful postures!

Once they have got the water to the village, it is stored in large earthenware jugs (see photos). The clay in the material the jugs are made up of helps keep the water cool.

The water is then scooped up suing a calabash (see separate tip) for drinking and cooking.