OUR APPROACH
How We Work
Every Wash Project partnership begins with listening. What we build, and how we build it, is determined by each community — their needs, their knowledge, and their vision for what's possible.
PHASE 1
Listen & Commit
We begin by learning. What does this community want to grow? What obstacles stand in their way? What does their dream garden look like? These conversations take time, and that's intentional — a garden built on shared vision lasts.
Central to that vision is a commitment to the land itself. Every Wash Project partnership is rooted in regenerative, organic growing practices — and that commitment is non-negotiable. Before we break ground, every community must be fully prepared to work in harmony with nature: no synthetic inputs, no shortcuts, and a genuine dedication to the highest ecological standards. For communities not yet ready to make that commitment, we ask them to take the time they need. The land, and the partnership, will be here when they are.
PHASE 2
Build the Foundation
Before the work begins, local specialists conduct groundwater tests to ensure safe extraction. The groundwater must be suitable for extraction and the community must commit to rainwater harvesting practices to ensure that the water will be both safe and sustainable. If we draw out groundwater to nourish the gardens, it is our responsibility to put it back.
Once confirmed, then the work begins. Men from the village dig trenches, install plumbing and secure fencing — ending, for many women, years of sleeping on the garden grounds at night to protect their crops from roaming animals. Gates go up. The land becomes theirs.
PHASE 3
Bring It to Life
A water tower rises at the center of the garden — a symbol of their shared commitment. Water taps are distributed throughout the grounds, placed so that every woman, regardless of age or physical ability, has easy access to water for her own plot.
We also teach rainwater harvesting principles to every community we partner with — practices that capture and store as much rainfall as possible, returning it directly back in the soil during the rainy season. This recharges the water table, providing crucial reserves during Mali's nine-month dry season. If we take water from the ground, we have a responsibility to put water back.
Shelters go up — places to rest, gather, share ideas, and nurse their babies. Toilets are installed, saving women hours each week. Training begins, and proper tools are put in the right hands.
For any family in the village who wants one, we install a fuel-efficient mud brick cooking stove. These stoves use firewood more efficiently, making it healthier for the women who cook over them, and reducedsthe need for further deforestation in search of fuel.
PHASE 4
Grow Together
The garden is running. The harvest is coming in. But our partnership doesn't end at the garden gate.
We stay connected, linking women growers with resources, knowledge, and ongoing support as their ambitions grow. Within each garden, the women organize their own microlending program — because the women know each other as neighbors, as growers, as partners in this work, the trust is already established. That trust becomes capital. Members can access small loans for emergencies, new business ventures, or family needs, with repayment structures the group designs and manages themselves.
Each year, our partner gardens come together for a friendly competition — measuring crop diversity, rainwater harvesting infrastructure, garden aesthetics, and economic impact. It celebrates how far each community has come and sets the standard for what's possible.
When the building is done and the first harvest is in, we do what every community deserves the chance to do: we celebrate.
"Caring for nature is a vital act; both humans and animals benefit from it, so nature takes care of us in return.
We have heard about the benefits other villages have gained from market gardening—it is highly productive.
In the future, I dream of becoming a major producer and achieving self-sufficiency."
Aîcha Samake — garden member, Bomboya