A story from Michael Taylor.
Some women in an African village had to walk a considerable distance to fetch water for their community. A Christian Aid project gave the village a well within the village precincts, so that the women no longer had to walk to fetch the water which was now always available.
However the well was consistently vandalised. It turned out eventually that the women themselves were vandalising the project. This was because, despite the arduous walk to fetch the water, the women enjoyed the time spent on the walk because it gave them time out from the village, from the men, and time and space to talk. The women were not consulted about their wants and needs. It was assumed that the project was good for them without asking their opinion.
It's never simple...
