Water scarcity is so acute at this time of year that many communities face a dire choice: water your farms or quench you thirst. He turned to the internet, setting up crowdfunding campaigns where people can donate money to construct wells in communities lacking water. "In many villages, there were water problems, and this issue notably impacted on learning," said Diakhate, who previously worked in school construction. In a region pockmarked with wells in various states of disrepair, Diakhate hopes the internet can bring communities together to solve the problem of water scarcity. His group has built more than 50 wells this way since 2020, and nine more are under construction.

---

Persons: Ourou Amady, Mamadou Diakhate, Diakhate, Yoro Boubou Ba, Ngouda Dione, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, United Nations, Pepperdine University, Thomson Locations: Ourou, Podor, Senegal, PODOR, Senegal's, Dakar, Saharan Africa, Bagga