Ethiopia
In rural areas of Ethiopia, the Voss Foundation and its implementing partners provide for immediate water needs, improved hygiene practices, and mitigation of future drought impacts by creating more reliable and localized water sources. Voss Foundation and its partners focus our programs to identify and pilot innovative, pragmatic solutions that will provide long-term water of improved quantity and quality for vulnerable populations.
The need for clean water in Ethopia is perpetually great, as evidenced by its devastation in the historic 2011 Horn of Africa drought. Only an estimated 31% of citizens have access to clean, potable water, while only 18% have access to proper sanitation facilities. In rural areas, these numbers drop steadily. In certain rural regions of Ethopia, women and children may walk up to 6 hours to fetch water, and during times of drought these trips take substantially longer. The source of water for many Ethiopians includes shallow, unprotected ponds, contaminated with both sediment from erosion and animal and human feces. Droughts serve as a major obstacle in obtaining water from this region bringing food shortages, famine and environmental diseases such as malaria, scabies, diarrhea and dysentery. Unfortunately, ailments attributed to environmental causes make up over ¾ of the communicable diseases infecting Ethiopians.
Disease and famine are not the only problems that accompany drought. The social implications of lack of access to clean water are a huge problem in these rural areas of Ethiopia. Like the other Voss Foundation project locations, Ethiopian culture relies heavily on the woman to ensure the health and wellbeing of the family. While the men often work, women and children are forced to fetch water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. An often arduous and highly dangerous task, women and children face great dangers during the process of obtaining water. Rape and abduction rates are high and the lack of water and sanitation facilities often limit children’s access to education.
For this reason, the Voss Foundation has chosen Ethiopia as a well deserving project site. In 2010, the Voss Foundation worked with CHF International to bring clean water to the Gode and Kelafo zones of Ethiopia. The newly constructed wells save time and decrease the work burden for women and children who used to travel far to fetch water for household consumption. The wells are constructed within residential areas and beneficiaries are accessing water with significantly less time and distance.
In 2011, the Voss Foundation partnered with Water.org, Matt Damon and Gary White’s organization, to bring clean, accessible water and sanitation facilities to Tigray, Ethiopia. The project brought potable water to roughly 2,300 beneficiaries in this rural area and constructed of 510 pit toilets that will allow for improved health and wellbeing of the community.
In all of the Voss Foundation’s water projects in Ethiopia, beneficiaries gain access to clean, safe water, and participate in the operation and management of their new water source and in the process embrace higher levels of hygiene and sanitation practices. These water projects empower local communities to improve livelihoods and ensure sustainability through local ownership.
Projects in Ethiopia:
Hadawe (Gode zone)
Local partner: CHF International
Project Type: Construction of shallow well; establishment of water management committee; hygiene, sanitation, health, and food-security training
Water access points: Rope-and-washer well
Funding source: Sammen for Vann / Together for Water and Give A Drop campaigns
Waylaisdig (Gode zone)
Local partner: CHF International
Project Type: Construction of shallow well; establishment of water management committee; hygiene, sanitation, health, and food-security training
Water access points: Rope-and-washer well
Funding source: Sammen for Vann / Together for Water and Give A Drop campaigns
Niri (Kelafo zone)
Local partner: CHF International
Project Type: Construction of shallow well; establishment of water management committee; hygiene, sanitation, health, and food-security training
Water access points: Rope-and-washer well
Funding source: Sammen for Vann / Together for Water and Give A Drop campaigns
Tigray
Local Partner: Water.org
Project Type: Supporting the Installation of four hand-dug wells, nine shallow boreholes and four springs; Establishment of 17 water and sanitation committees; Training of 170 model peer educators and 20 health extension workers to aid in the education and installation of 680 toilets.
Water Access Points: Directly responsible for the implementation of 6 water access points in the project
