Glossary.

Village well

A village well is a shallow masonry well (10-40 m) dug at the heart of a village, providing drinking water for approximately 500 people with a lifespan of ~30 years. It is managed by a local committee (COGES) trained to ensure maintenance.

Pastoral well

A pastoral well is a deep cement well (40-80 m), exclusively for watering nomadic livestock (camels, goats, donkeys). It secures transhumance routes in desert areas.

Vegetable garden well

A vegetable garden well is dedicated to irrigating an oasis garden, typically managed by a women's cooperative. It supplies 0.5 to 1 hectare of crops (tomatoes, onions, cabbage, lettuce).

Solar borehole

A solar borehole is a deep borehole (typically > 80 m) equipped with a submerged pump powered by photovoltaic panels. It is the most sustainable solution for high flow rates in desert areas without an electrical grid.

Water access in Niger

Access to drinking water in Niger

In Niger, access to drinking water is among the lowest in the world: 2 out of 5 Nigeriens have no access to safe drinking water. In the Agadez region (north of the country), Les Puits du Désert and NGO Tidène have built 345 wells and boreholes that now provide water access to around 100,000 people.

Fossil water

Fossil water is groundwater that infiltrated thousands, even tens of thousands of years ago, during the humid periods of the "green Sahara", and has been trapped since in deep aquifers. It is practically not renewed on a human timescale — a precious resource to be used with care.

Water chore

The water chore is the daily time spent fetching water, often several hours' walk from home. In Niger it falls mostly on women and children — it prevents children (especially girls) from attending school and women from developing activities. Building a well at the heart of the village removes it.

SDG 6

Sustainable Development Goal 6 — Clean water and sanitation

SDG 6 is the 6th of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN in 2015. It aims to ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030, managed sustainably. Les Puits du Désert's actions directly contribute to this goal in Niger.

WASH

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is the acronym used in the development and humanitarian sector to refer to the water-sanitation-hygiene combination. It is the conceptual framework of funders (AFD, UNICEF, World Bank) for water access programs. Les Puits du Désert operates within this approach.

COGES

Water Management Committee

The COGES (Water Management Committee) is a community village structure that manages and maintains a water point (village well) after its construction. Composed of locally elected members, it collects fees, funds maintenance, and arbitrates usage. It is the condition for post-project autonomy.

NGO Tidène

Tidène — Nigerien operational partner

Tidène is a Nigerien NGO based in Agadez, created in 2004 by Mohamed Ixa (President) and co-founded with Christel Pernet (LPDD). It is the sole operational partner of Les Puits du Désert in Niger: 100% Nigerien, natives of the region, no expatriates. It executes all field projects.

Tim Mersoï basin

The Tim Mersoï basin is a vast aquifer reservoir of about 115,000 km² in northern Niger, between the Aïr massif and the Algerian border. It holds deep fossil aquifers (the Tarat and Guézouman aquifers) and still-active shallow aquifers — the main water source for Saharan populations and the mining towns of Arlit and Akokan.

Agadez Region

The Agadez region is the largest in Niger: 667,799 km² (equivalent to the area of metropolitan France), 714,509 inhabitants (INS 2024). It is the operating area of Les Puits du Désert in Niger, including the Tidène valley, the Aïr massif and the city of Agadez.

Tidène Valley

The Tidène Valley is a valley of the Aïr massif, located in the Agadez region of northern Niger, about 90 km north of the city of Agadez. It is home to about 16,000 inhabitants, mostly nomadic Tuareg. It is the historic starting area of Les Puits du Désert in 2004 — since then, the action has expanded to the entire Agadez region.

Agadez

Agadez is a historic city in northern Niger, capital of the Agadez region and gateway to the Ténéré desert. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is the administrative and economic center of the operating area of Les Puits du Désert (Tidène valley, located 90 km further north).

Tuareg

The Tuareg (or Kel Tamasheq) are a Berber nomadic people of the central Sahara, mainly present in Niger, Mali, Algeria, Libya and Burkina Faso. Their language is Tamasheq. The populations benefiting from Les Puits du Désert are overwhelmingly Tuareg.

Women's cooperative

A women's cooperative is a group of women formed around a well to develop income-generating activities (crafts, sewing, leatherwork, market gardening, food processing). Les Puits du Désert supports 16 of them, with functional literacy in Tamachek, management training and zero-interest microcredit.

66% tax deduction

Income tax deduction of 66% of the donated amount

Les Puits du Désert being a French public-interest nonprofit recognized by the tax administration, any donation entitles to an income tax deduction of 66% of the donated amount, capped at 20% of taxable income (art. 200 of the French General Tax Code). For French taxpayers only.