Water is Life! Updates on Clean Water Access Projects in Central Ethiopia
[image description: a woman is filling her water jug from a water point faucet. Additional woman are looking on and waiting their turn to fill their water jugs.]
From the very beginning, clean water access has been the foundation of our work. And, since 2021, we have partnered with Inter-Aide France, an expert implementer of water projects in southern Ethiopia, to bring clean water access to the communities we serve. Our most recent project, the Wissisa Water Project, is a gravity-fed water system that will bring clean water to over 10,000 people across five communities in critical need. When completed, the Wissisa Water Project will be 45.8 KM (28.5 miles) long, with offshoots reaching communities. There will be 25 water stations with accompanying cattle troughs and washing basins, and four schools and a health clinic will each receive a water station on site.
[image description: a young woman is at a water point and is filling her water jug.]
Time and again, we have seen the incredible impact clean water has on families and communities- children are no longer sick from waterborne diseases, girls don’t miss school, and women no longer have to spend hours every single day fetching dirty water. The impact is tremendous!
Community involvement and investment are critical for water projects to become sustainable. Women and men from five communities (some as far as a two-hour walk) have joined forces to excavate ditches for the new water pipes. This hard work has strengthened village relationships- men and women, young and old, have worked side-by-side, singing and supporting one another to get the job done. This joint community effort is a testament to everyone working together to strengthen one another and become safer, healthier, and equitable for everyone.
Men and women from surrounding communities, including Gaecha, Sigezo, Durgi, and Keleta, have supported the excavation process. Many traveled far and invested a lot of sweat equity to ensure the success of the Wissisa water project. [image description: a large crowd of people are walking together.]
Community members from five villages worked together to dig trenches for the new water pipes. [Image description: a long trench is dug into the landscape- the trench is deep and narrow and snakes out to the distance. There is upturned soil scattered near the trench.]
In addition to the Wissisa Water Project, InterAide identified Melebe Spring, a local spring, that will be rehabilitated and will provide clean water to the surrounding community. Also, our first water project, the Debolebole-Mudula Water Line, will receive much-needed maintenance and will provide water to nearly 19,000 Mudula town residents and public institutions, including four schools, two Health Centers, Mudula Hospital, and other public places.
Melebe Spring will be rehabilitated and will provide clean water to nearby communities. The name of the Spring, "Melebe," translates to "Sweet Like Honey" in Tambarsa, the local language. [Image description: a person is standing by a concrete block, surrounded by greenery. There is a small amount of water at his feet.]
Our partnership with Inter-Aide has been crucial in creating strategic, sustainable water access solutions for the communities we serve in Central Ethiopia.
Cattle drinking from troughs help keep them healthier and less exposed to water-borne diseases. [Image description: three cattle are drinking from a concrete trough.]
A local boy is on his way with his donkey cart to fill many jerry cans. In the background, the team is discussing best practices for rehabilitating the spring. [Image description: a young Ethiopian boy is leading a donkey cart with yellow jugs. In the background, several men are in deep discussion.]