The Reality of Life in Achada Grande
Streetlights, a bathroom with a working toilet, a bed of your own—many of us take these things for granted. Yet for many people around the world, they are far from a given. This is also true for some families in Achada Grande, a neighborhood in Praia on the island of Santiago in Cape Verde. Just a short distance from the city’s tourist areas, people live in modest and often extremely difficult conditions.
In April of this year, we visited the community to see the situation for ourselves. We were accompanied by Daniel Cardoso Borges, who was born in Achada Grande and still lives there today. For many years, he has supported his community through his NGO, Efaq. Together with his team, he organizes free educational and sports activities for children in the neighborhood.
Through this work, he creates new opportunities, teaches important values, and helps reduce the risks children may face when they lack safe and meaningful activities. It has also allowed him to build close relationships not only with the children, but with their families—and to gain a deep understanding of their individual needs.
Dani introduced us to several families and showed us around the neighborhood. It quickly became clear that support is urgently needed—and that we want to help.
Some families have little more than the bare essentials. Others lack even the most basic necessities. Some homes have no toilet at all. Instead, families have to use a bucket and empty it outside.
As Dani put it: dignity begins with a toilet.
Access to a toilet is one of the most fundamental requirements for a life with dignity. Sanitation is a human right. This right is also reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, “Clean Water and Sanitation,” which calls for access to safe sanitation facilities for everyone.
Sleeping arrangements are another major challenge. Large families may have to share a single mattress between three or four people. Others, including children, sleep on the floor.
Safety is also a serious concern. We visited the home of an elderly woman who lives in a single small room containing a bed, a refrigerator, and just a few storage spaces. Her roof is crumbling. Pieces regularly come loose, and sometimes larger sections fall into the room below.
Our Planned Projects
Tools for Financial Independence
In Cape Verde, women are often the ones providing for their families. Achada Grande is home to many motivated women who want to work but do not have the equipment they need to get started. By financing ovens, refrigerators, or shade umbrellas, we can help them set up small food stalls where they can sell homemade meals and keep their ingredients and products from spoiling. Even a relatively small investment can enable someone to earn their own income and become more financially independent over time.
Installing Street Lighting
Better lighting in public spaces does more than improve people’s sense of safety at night. Studies have also identified a clear connection between darkness and crime. A meta-analysis by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention found that improved street lighting was associated with a significant reduction in crime of around 14 percent across the areas studied.
We therefore want to install additional streetlights throughout the neighborhood—helping residents feel safer and more comfortable after dark.
Building School Dormitories
School attendance is compulsory in Cape Verde, and education is funded by the state to a certain extent. The school in Achada Grande gives many children access to education. However, not all of them are able to attend classes regularly. Some children face an extremely long journey to school, while others do not receive the support they need at home. As a result, they repeatedly miss lessons and have fewer opportunities to succeed in their education.
To address this, the school is planning to build dormitories. Children who live far away or face difficult circumstances at home would be able to stay there during the week, allowing them to attend classes regularly. The plans are already in place, but the school currently lacks the funding needed to make the project a reality.
Supporting Farmers
In addition to our work in Achada Grande, we also want to support farmers in Santiago’s rural interior. Much of the island’s economy depends on agriculture and livestock farming. Crops grown there include tomatoes, papayas, bananas, potatoes, mangoes, and sugar cane.
Our conversations with local farmers quickly revealed what they need most: irrigation systems, solar panels, water tanks, and other essential equipment that would allow them to work more efficiently.
Cape Verde is severely affected by drought, making access to water one of the country’s greatest challenges. With the right support, farmers can increase their yields and build more secure livelihoods for the future.
Opportunities for Sustainable Development
Achada Grande has enormous potential. In the past, artists have transformed parts of the neighborhood with murals and other works of art, and a small number of guided tours already take place there. However, the area remains largely unknown to many visitors.
Its location offers impressive views across the city and out toward the ocean. More tourism could create valuable new opportunities: women running food stalls could reach more customers, while men could gain access to new employment opportunities.
What we saw during our visit showed us one thing above all: change is possible.
As Dani says, even individual projects can make a real difference in Achada Grande and help set long-term structural change in motion.
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