Ethiopia Project Profile
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Quick Facts
Capital city: Addis Ababa
Population: 96.6 million
Access to Improved Sanitation: Just 20 million
Key Information: Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that has not been colonized. However, ill political policy, civil unrest, war, and a poor climate have lead to dire circumstances. Much of WTW’s work is done in areas where severe drought has created an overwhelming need for access to water. A robust drilling machine is a must in order to reach the water table.
WTW’s Impact: Over 25,000 people have been reached with clean water.
Water Solutions Used: Well Construction, Well Repair, WaSH (Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene)
Background
More than 50% of Ethiopia’s population lack access to safe drinking water, and a mere 21% have access to proper sanitation services. In rural parts of the country, women and children walk over 6 hours a day to collect water from shallow, contaminated ponds that are often shared with animals. In the past 2o years, droughts have heavily impacted several areas of the Ethiopia, leading to a severe lack of access to clean drinking water.
Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country, and the second largest in population. It’s never been colonized, and serves as a symbol of independence throughout Africa. Drought, war, and ill-conceived political policies have all led to severe devastation throughout Ethiopia’s history. Due to the droughts that have occurred in recent years, water access is extremely limited. Surface water such as ponds and springs dry up, leading to the few remaining water sources becoming heavily contaminated and impure. This lack of clean water and consumption of contaminated water is a direct cause of diarrhea, numerous water-related diseases, and is the leading cause of death among children in Ethiopia.
Wine to Water’s Impact
Over 25,000 people have directly benefitted from Wine To Water projects in Ethiopia. The majority of projects completed involve deep well drilling in very rural areas of Ethiopia and well repairs on the the hand-pump mechanism.
Water Solutions Used:
- Well Construction: The most recognized water access solution for rural communities is well drilling. This involves digging, driving, or drilling a borehole to access water in underground aquifers. How the aquifer is reached depends on the ground formation and resources available. Some aquifers are shallow (30–60 feet) and can be reached by hand digging or hand driving (manual percussion). Other aquifers may be deeper (60–500 feet) requiring a more sophisticated rotary or hammer drilling machine. The wells are then most commonly outfitted with a hand pump to draw the water out and protected with a concrete pad. Community members are actively involved to contribute as well as receive training on well ownership and maintenance.
2. Well Repair: As many as 1 in every 3 wells in Sub-Saharan Africa are in non-working order. Our well repair programs start with site assessments on broken wells with cooperation from government water officials. Community members are informed of the program and invited to send their own water committee members to attend well management training. This interactive training addresses the root causes of why the wells have remained inoperable; covering topics such as community ownership, source protection, and managing finances. The physical/mechanical repairs are then completed, most commonly involving repairing broken hand pump parts and leaking pipes, at a fraction of the cost of drilling a new well.
3. WaSH Education: WaSH is an acronym, standing for “Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene,” a group of interrelated major public health issues found in the developing world. It is extremely important for people to understand how water, sanitation, and hygiene are directly connected to health, education, and poverty. This is why WTW strives to include WaSH education with all of our partners and projects. These workshops are always interactive and fun, including topics such as local WaSH issues, what a healthy community is, disease transmission, and the cycle of poverty. Local leaders are given the responsibility of continuing the promotion of proper WaSH practices within their communities.
