In Geidam, Yobe State, when a borehole breaks down, people used to wait. Sometimes for weeks. Sometimes for months. Women and children would walk for hours in the sun just to fetch water, returning home exhausted.
‘‘That used to be my life.
My name is Aisha. I’m a mother of two. I live in a quiet part of Geidam, where the land is dry and the sun doesn’t play. For years, every day started with one question: “Where will we find water today? I used to wake up before dawn, carrying buckets with other women in my community. We would walk miles, praying that the hand pump at the next village wasn’t also broken. Often, it was. And when one borehole stopped working, it could take forever before anyone came to fix it, usually a man from town who might show up after a month, or not at all.
Everything changed the day I learned how to fix a borehole
I never imagined myself becoming a mechanic. Where I come from, women are not seen doing technical work. We’re expected to take care of the home, raise the children, cook, clean, and somehow still find water, no matter how far it is. That’s just how it’s always been.
So when I heard that ActionAid Nigeria, through the WEAVE Project, was training women to become Local Area Mechanics, I was surprised. And curious. Then afraid. Would my husband support it? Would the community laugh? Would I even be allowed?
But something in me said yes. I had suffered too much fetching water. My children had missed too many school days due to sickness. I was tired of waiting.
The training was not easy at first. We learned about borehole parts, preventive maintenance, how to troubleshoot problems, how to use tools like spanners, pipe wrenches, testing rods. They gave us toolkits and uniforms and linked us to the WASH committees in our communities. For the first time, I felt like my hands could do more than just carry water, they could fix the system. About six (6) women have so far being trained as Local Area Mechanics (LAMs). Now, when there’s a problem with the borehole, they call me or anyone from the LAM. The same people who used to wait for a man from town now come to us. They respect us. The men in the community ask our opinion. The women come to learn.
‘‘Since we started, my team has fixed up to 10 boreholes in Geidam and nearby communities. We don’t wait anymore. Children are no longer late to school because of water. Diarrhoea cases have dropped. I know the lean season is getting worse. The sun is harsher. More families are arriving in search of food and safety, but with clean water flowing, we at least have one less worry. And I believe women like me are part of the solution.
We are not just fixing pipes. We are fixing the future. I am proud to be a Local Area Mechanic. I never thought I’d say that and I carry my wrench with pride.
Aisha is proof. Now help us reach more women like her.
Six women trained. Ten boreholes fixed. Thousands of families no longer waiting weeks for water. That’s what’s possible when women get the tools and the training to lead.
But the lean season is getting harder. More displaced families are arriving in Geidam every week, and every one of them needs water to survive. The next borehole that breaks down shouldn’t have to wait a month for a man from town. It should have a woman like Aisha, ready with a wrench.
Your donation helps us:
- Train more women as Local Area Mechanics, with toolkits, uniforms, and hands-on skills
- Repair and maintain boreholes before communities are forced to walk for miles
- Put economic power directly into the hands of women in crisis-affected communities
- Keep children in school and out of hospital beds by keeping clean water flowing
Help us train the next Aisha, and the one after her.
Donate Now
The WEAVE Project, implemented by ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Jami Al Hakeem Foundation and supported by the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (NHF) through UNOCHA, is building community resilience in northeast Nigeria by training women as borehole mechanics, improving access to safe water, and challenging gender inequality in crisis-affected areas.