By Arret Jatta
In villages where women once rose before dawn to queue at dry wells or trek kilometres with heavy buckets, water is finally coming to their doorstep. Through its latest borehole initiative, the Network of Local Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) – Gambia Chapter – has unveil a new phase of community water projects that will quietly transform daily life for thousands of rural women and their families.
At the heart of this project is the mayor of Banjul Rohey Malick Lowe, President of Refela Africa and the Vice President of the Global Parliament of Mayors.
Mayor lowe has framed the boreholes as the fulfilment of a commitment she made after listening to women’s stories across the country.
She has repeatedly spoken about girls and mothers walking long distances under harsh conditions just to secure a basic human need, often sacrificing school, health and productive time in the process.
Under the “Water for Women in The Gambia” initiative, Refela Gambia has rolled out a nationwide programme of modern boreholes targeting primarily women horticulturalists and rural households.
The project goes beyond charity; it is pitched as a structural response to gendered hardship, giving women reliable water so they can farm, earn income and manage their homes with dignity.
The unveiling at the Banjul City Council grounds brought together council leadership, Refela Regional Coordinators’, community representatives and beneficiary coordinators from across The Gambia.
Officials described the new boreholes as part of a wider effort to extend essential infrastructure beyond the urban core and into neglected rural and peri-urban communities.
Beneficiary communities include Brufut, Basori, Kombo Dasilameh, Kinteh Kunda Marong Kunda, Nyabou Kunda, Lowen, Kerr Jawara, Sancha Njugor Njie, Pinai, Sami Misira, Barrow Kunda, Jasong, Mbayen, Bureng , Firdawsi , jarra Sukuta, and Kanikuda, spanning the West Coast, North Bank, Central River and Lower River regions.
This landmark initiative promises to transform the lives of thousands of Gambians who have struggled with accessing clean, safe drinking water.
Benefited community members converged in the capital on Friday to witness the signing ceremony.
At the ceremony, Mayor Lowe reaffirmed Refela’s commitment to addressing Gambian challenges, particularly those affecting women and rural communities.
“Clean and potable drinking water is a fundamental human right. Every community needs it to reduce sickness and ensure healthy living,” she said.
Water as empowerment, not politics
From the podium, Mayor Lowe and Banjul City Council officials insisted that the boreholes are an apolitical intervention designed to compliment, not compete with central government development programmes.
Mayor Lowe underlined that access to safe drinking water is a basic human right and that any effort expanding that access is a “fundamental undertaking” and a clear show of commitment to the country’s women.
To guard against politicisation and to anchor long-term ownership, completed boreholes are being handed to Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Refela community coordinators for management. For an initial period, coordinators will oversee operations and basic maintenance; after that, full control will pass to the communities themselves, a model designed to keep the taps running long after the television cameras have gone.
Behind the celebratory unveiling lies a coalition of local banks, corporate partners and diplomatic missions that will helped finance and deliver the installations.
Among those publicly thanked are Trust Bank Gambia Ltd, Wave Gambia, Sahel Bank BSIC Ltd and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, whose contributions have allowed Refela to move from pledges to hardware in the ground.
Refela and its allies have stressed that they do not simply sink a borehole and walk away. At recent ceremonies, Mayor Lowe pointed out that they avoid “one, two or three” tank systems, opting instead for four or five tanks per site where possible to match the realities of village demand and reduce breakdown inducing strain.
She has also publicly set an ambitious goal of reaching around 100 boreholes nationwide by the end of the year, turning the current unveiling into the stepping stone for a truly national water network driven by and for women.
For the women at the centre of this story, the unveiling of 17 boreholes is not about statistics; it is about time, safety and opportunity.
With water closer to home, girls are less likely to miss school to help their mothers fetch water, and women can redirect hours once spent walking to distant wells into gardening, petty trade or rest. The availability of safe, reliable water also reduces exposure to waterborne diseases that have long plagued communities drawing from open wells and contaminated sources.
In a country where development debates often revolve around roads, ports and big-ticket projects, these modest concrete platforms and steel tanks scattered across remote villages tell a quieter story.
Each borehole is a daily referendum on whether leadership listens, whether promises to rural women are honoured, and whether national development can be measured not only in GDP but in the simple miracle of clean water flowing from a tap. Refela Gambia’s latest unveilings suggest that, at least in these communities, that promise is finally being kept.
Mayor Lowe also thanked international partners, including Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of The UAE, Deputy Prime Minister of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senegal’s Prime Minister, and Moroccan partners for their support.
The BCC CEO Modou Jonga commended Mayor Lowe’s leadership, acknowledging the government’s limitations in addressing water challenges alone.
“The rapid increase in population comes with challenges, and water provision is one of them. Any intervention that seeks to provide safe drinking water is paramount. Government cannot do it alone, and councils cannot do it alone. Refela’s support is of national significance,” he said.
Refela’s West Coast coordinator Sukai Sanjang shared her personal experience with borehole benefits, while National Coordinator Mariama Ceesay Sawaneh praised Mayor Lowe’s efforts, highlighting Refela’s support for scholarships, skills centres, and women’s empowerment programs.
Over 33 communities were surveyed, with 17 selected for immediate borehole installation. According to Mayor Lowe, some villages will receive milling machines as well, whilst others will wait for the second phase of the project. The 17 boreholes will be completed by end of April.
