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A well for Ende-Toro
A Dogon-village in Mali

Water
The whole life starts with and depends on the availability of water.  In the absence of water all life and thus the richness and uniqueness of culture dies.

The Dogon
Ende-Toro is a Dogon-village in Mali (West Africa) situated on the edge of the „Falaise“.
The Dogon belong to a group of ancient farming tribes with a highly developed animistic culture and cosmogony. Ancestor cult is the centrum of their religious beliefs, which include a complex vision of the whole cosmos. Until today the uniqueness of the Dogon culture has been a subject of Western field studies dating back as early as the thirties of the last century.

The problem
The „Falaise“ is a stony plateau consisting of a 600-meter thick and 200-kilometer long sandstone plate, which runs parallel to the Niger. That is the reason why a sufficient water supply is a special problem of this region. It is almost impossible to reach the groundwater using pick and spate. What are needed are expensive drills that are able to dig the necessary well depth of 40 meters. Almost none of the villages can afford to rent such a drill.
With more and more existing wells drying out, more and more inhabitants are leaving their villages – and thus their unique culture – in order to migrate to the south of the country where the humid savannah offers a better prospect for survival. 

The solution
During my first trip to Mali I was confronted with the water problem of Ende-Toro. Back home I targeted friends of mine and asked them to support the "Project A well for Ende-Toro". A second visit in the Dogon-village further convinced me of the necessity and sincerity of the well construction, therefore I decided that I am going on to raise the necessary money. For me it is of utmost importance – and I personally guarantee – that each and every donated cent contributes to the construction of the well.
So far there are 6000 Euro missing in order to start with the construction of the well. The high costs are due to the necessary depth and special materials needed. I am going to deliver money personally directly to the people of Ende-Toro and supervise the appropriate utilization of the money.

WATER IS LIFE

Another purpose
Everywhere in Africa women have an especially hard life: Numerous pregnancies and births determine their very work intensive daily life. There is one burden we could take away from the women in Ende-Toro: The daily threshing of sorghum. A very time and labor-intensive work.

Some nice Frenchmen donated a flourmill that is kept well maintained, if the women were able to come up with the money to buy the necessary fuel for the mill. An amount of 4 Euro each day or round about 1000 Euro each year.

The request
I would like to as friends and their friends, every woman, every man to support the Ende-Toro projects.
I personally guarantee that each donated Euro is earmarked for the described Ende-Toro projects. Even the smallest donation can contribute a lot. And of course I promise that I am going to document the projects and let donors participate in the progress.

If you want more information or to make a donation please contact