#04 Chamba-Dzana (HOFF)

When we first got to Chamba-Dzana, another little village in the Benga region, we were so impressed to see how happy this community was, how much energy they all had, and how warmly they welcomed us. They were living on the edge, but still they had an amazing positive outlook and tried to take advantage of every little detail.

The sad bit came when they all came together to show us their water source: after we walked for 1,5 km, we got a 2m² hole with no way in or out. There was not any close river and they would be tied to weather conditions, as the area would constantly get dry and their water supply would disappear. Taking all these inputs into account, you can picture the quality of water: it was all brown and dirty, full of insects and in any case, drinkable.

That small water hole was their only option for many years and consequently, they would bathe themselves with it resulting in many skin problems. With time, as they lacked medical resources, skin diseases became a big issue jeopardizing the life of many of Chamba-Dzana's habitants.

Once it was clear to us that we wanted to help them, our friends from HOFF, a Spanish sneaker brand, showed us their interest to join us and take part in this project. Moved by the community spirit, love, and care that we felt there, they were all in to fund this water well.

Chamba-Dzana's well was built on February 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic bursted. Unfortunately, due to the global lockdown we were not able to inaugurate the well and celebrate this with their people. However, we've been informed by our partners that their habitants have seen their lives improve significantly thanks to this contribution.