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HOPE Seeks to Supply Water Where it is in Demand - HOPE (UK)
For the last few years, the main focus of HOPE's work in Ethiopia has been in Derashe. When we started in Derashe access to water was around 7% of the population. Now it is nearly 84%, and this will rise again to over 90 % of the population once we finish the current phase. Not only has this changed the lives of those living in Derashe, but it also means that we are now able to focus on a new area. Here, Bereket Gebretsion, program manager of HOPE International Development Agency in Ethiopia, reveals the vision for Bonke Woreda, the latest region earmarked for intervention by HOPE UK. Bereket says:
"In Bonke Woreda there are 33 kebele or villages. In its first phase (2009-2012), HOPE is planning to implement water and sanitation projects in 11 of these kebele. Currently only 14% of the 195,000 population have access to clean water. HOPE has a 3 phase plan, with the first phase covering 36,000 people at a cost of 20 million birr (US$2 million).
There’s not a shortage of water per capita in Bonke Woreda. The issue is that most sources are contaminated. The other problem is that it is a mountainous region and, due to cultural expectation, it is typically women and girls who carry the water, causing all sorts of problems, including women and girls being blocked from going to school because they have to fetch water. They have to climb up with a big jerry can, it’s a big load, and that can make women miscarry when they are pregnant. So, it's vital that our program brings water to the village, or at the very least, bring it nearby.
Being mountainous, we need to use a gravity system. We don’t use any kind of motorized system because it’s not affordable or replicable, and it’s not easy to maintain for the community. Though gravity fed supplies are a little more expensive to install, the running costs and maintenance are almost zero. The water just comes down by itself. That means it is a sustainable way of sourcing water. As with all our projects, the initiative comes from the community. HOPE then makes a feasibility study and technical survey, and compiles the proposal, which must then get Government approval. Our first phase has already received government backing and was started in July 2009. This should be completed by June 2012, then we will renew our agreement with the government for the next phase."
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With over 90% of the population now having access to a clean, safe water supply in the Derashe regions of Ethiopia, HOPE is turning its attention to a new project in the Bonke Woreda, where a sustainable water supply is much needed.