Untitled Document

In 2006, students and faculty from Messiah College teamed with international aid/disaster relief agency World Vision to research the intersection between physical disability and issues surrounding water and independent living in Mali, West Africa. After surveying ~900 Malian households, the team determined that people with disabilities found the most issues around the water-related tasks of accessing and using a village pump, transporting water once it was pumped, transferring water into usable containers, and sanitary latrine accessibility.

History of Mali Water and Disabilities Study
In 2006, students and faculty from Messiah College teamed with international aid/disaster relief agency World Vision to research the intersection between physical disability and issues surrounding water and independent living in Mali, West Africa. After surveying ~900 Malian households, the team determined that people with disabilities found the most issues around the water-related tasks of accessing and using a village pump, transporting water once it was pumped, transferring water into usable containers, and sanitary latrine accessibility.

Over the next three years, a team of students, under a faculty mentor, researched practical, inexpensive, locally available solutions to these issues. Twice a year, members of the team traveled to Mali to implement new iterations of proposed solutions, gather feedback from test sites and individuals with disabilities themselves, and to seek out and foster new relationships. The image above documents a community meeting between a site team and clients to discuss the solutions manufactured and tested to date.
Home	Pumps and Superstructure	Transportation and Domestic Use	Latrine Sanitation