IMPACT
What We've Accomplished So Far
Since 2020, the Wash Project has partnered with communities across rural Mali to build gardens that produce food, generate income, and restore ecological health to the land — one village at a time.
9
Gardens built
Gardens built since 2020
7
Partner Villages
Throughout southern Mali
1,260+
Members
Number of women who have partnered with The Wash Project (not including their families)
100%
Income increase
Average income increase per gardener, year one
3→12
Food production
Months of food production per year
EVERYTHING BUILT SINCE 2020
Gardens Are Just the Beginning
A garden is where every partnership begins. Everything beyond it — bridges, clinics, schools — is built on community need and the generosity of people like you.
IN THE GARDENERS' OWN WORDS
Heard Around the Garden
"Before the garden, we spent four hours a day searching for water. Our income was 200 to 250 francs a day. Now I work in the garden. We eat well. I earn 500 to 1,000 francs a day, and water is one hour away."
Kadiatou Doumbia — garden member, M'Pana
"During the dry season, we had no profitable activity — nothing to do but wait, hands crossed. This garden will play an important role in changing our lives. Now we grow vegetables to eat and sell. That has never been possible before."
Salimatou Coulibaly — garden member
"This gave employment to every woman in the village. Now we focus on growing. We eat what we produce and sell the rest. This proves the importance of what the project has done for us."
Rokia Traore — garden member, M'Pana
RAINWATER HARVESTING INFRASTRUCTURE
Safe Passage and Harvesting Water
Everything we design must do more than one thing
Some villagers have described our bridge initiative as the single greatest change of their lifetime. Each bridge we have partnered with the community to build is crossed thousands of times each month — connecting people to the essential services such as health clinics, schools, and markets. Designed to slow and hold rainwater rather than let it rush past, the bridge channels the rainy season's abundance back into the earth, recharging the water table that sustains the garden through nine months of dry season.
It's core to our philosophy: If we take water from the ground, we have a responsibility to put it back.
Gardens built
4
Bridges built
Water harvesting bridges that connect to essential services
10,000+
Crossings per month
Our bridges are constantly used in each of the 5 communities where we've built one.
60→0
Safer communities
Days per year where the streams were impassable due to flooding
M'PANA HEALTH CLINIC
The Ripple Effect
Bringing water to a local health clinic has changed everything for these practitioners and the communities they serve.
WHERE WE WORK
Interactive Map of Our Projects
(Click on each icon to learn more about it!)