Water is Our Right
Internally-displaced refugees in Secaco celebrate the inauguration of their first well.
Clean water is the foundation for health, safety, education, and opportunity. Through Water is Our Right, The Sonder Project drills deep, closed-system wells that draw from naturally filtered aquifers. Most are fitted with hand pumps and designed to serve hundreds of people for years to come. Each well is paired with community leadership, sanitation training, and connection to a local mechanic to help ensure clean water remains reliable long after installation.
In 2025, The Sonder Project drilled and completed 9 new wells across Burkina Faso and Malawi and rehabilitated one non-Sonder well, bringing safe, reliable water to nearly 5,400 people. We also trained 15 new mechanics across eight communities in Burkina Faso, strengthening local capacity to keep water flowing long after each well is installed.
Clean Water for Displaced Families in Secaco
In Secaco, Burkina Faso, more than 7,000 internally displaced people have sought refuge after fleeing violence in the country’ s northern and eastern regions. Many live in temporary shelters and have faced exclusion from basic services, including clean water.
Before the well, displaced families were often turned away from existing water points, asked to pay for water they could not afford, or forced to rely on unsafe open sources. Now, families in Secaco have a water point specifically intended to serve them. For people who have already lost so much, this well is more than infrastructure. It is clean water, dignity, and the reminder that they are seen.
Perseverance in Lundewa
In Lundewa, Malawi, the need for clean water was clear from the beginning, but the solution
14 THE SONDER PROJECT