Bringing Life-Changing Water to Testay – Empowering Women

The ‘Why”

For generations, the daily lives of women and children in Testay have been shaped by the arduous task of fetching water. Every day, they spend hours climbing the harsh, difficult terrain to the nearest stream, carrying heavy loads on their backs for their families to cook and drink. This physically demanding chore becomes even more treacherous during the harsh winter months.

Compounding this struggle is the quality of the water itself, which is often contaminated and poses significant health risks. This daily burden of walking for water not only consumes precious time and energy but also jeopardizes the community’s health, creating a cycle of hardship.

Our Community-Led Solution

In partnership with the local community, the Braldu Valley Foundation has launched a two-stage program to construct a 2,000-meter pipeline, bringing fresh water directly from a clean source above the village to both homes and the school.

**Stage 1: Connecting the School (Complete!)** The first stage, completed in June 2025, was a powerful testament to the community’s dedication. In an incredible effort, around 100 villagers came together to dig a deep trench and personally install the first 350 meters of underground pipe. This initial phase successfully connected the school to the clean water source, providing students and teachers with safe water for the first time.

**Stage 2: Serving the Entire Village** The next stage of the project will extend the pipeline to the rest of the village, establishing three central water outlets for households and installing washbasins at the school. These accessible points will eliminate the need for the long daily trek, freeing up valuable time and easing the immense physical burden traditionally carried by women and children.

Ensuring a Sustainable Future

Infrastructure is only the beginning. To ensure the long-term success of this project, a local **Water Management Committee** has been established. This committee, run by community members, will oversee all ongoing maintenance and repairs.

To fund this work, each household has agreed to contribute a small monthly fee, creating a self-sustaining system that will keep the water flowing for generations to come.

This self-sustaining model does more than just maintain the pipeline; it empowers the community to build upon this foundation. In the future, they can choose to expand the network to provide direct connections to individual households, further improving quality of life. By fostering local ownership, we believe the community of Testay is now fully enabled to manage and advance this vital resource for their own future.