Back in 2016 the four villages of Binhome, Cali, Wapte and Paili had no access to clean, drinking water. The villages are all in the same rural area, about two hours drive out of the capital Bissau.

WellFound has been working in partnership with these four villages and the degree of transformation which is made possible by clean water is amazing.

As International Women’s Day approached, the women from these four villages decided they wanted to hold a football tournament. As far as we know this is the first time this has ever happened and it reflects the new-found status and equality which has been achieved.

Playing in borrowed kit, the women faced off against each other on match day.

The first two matches were played in the relative cool of the morning. Wapte beat Paili 2-0. Cali and Binhome played out a hard fought 0-0 draw, and Binhome went on to win on penalties.
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The final was played later in the day as the heat began to fade. Full time saw Binhome and Wapte tied at 1-1, although there were claims that the ref had missed an obvious penalty. After a tense penalty shoot-out Binhome finally lifted the trophy.
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All the organisation for the day was done by the villagers, including a team of six men and two women who cooked for the event. A TV team from Bissau had heard about the matches and travelled out to see for themselves.
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WellFound provided the trophy for the winners and runners-up:  a savings box for the women of Binhome to keep the money for their market garden, and a container of seeds for the women of Wapte to use in their market garden.

A great day, and one which probably wouldn’t have happened without the transforming power of clean water.

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