Bringing clean water and so much more to Markala

As October begins, HOPE UK celebrates that the needed work on Markala's new water and sanitation system begins as well! 

Last week, HOPE UK transferred £20,000 to purchase the necessary materials to build the gravity-fed, spring-capped water system in this rural Ethiopian community of 840 men, women and children.  This money has been raised offline from five UK Trusts and Foundations and approximately 35 generous supporters of HOPE's work.  We are delighted to have been able to make this transfer at this time because in Ethiopia building material costs have gone up dramatically, especially cement which has increased by 67% since the beginning of the year.  This means the overall budget of this project has increased accordingly and therefore, there was an increased urgency to buy the materials before prices increased further. 

Someone else pleased to see the construction of the water system underway is Amirat, a 13-year old girl from Markala.  She has graduated from the 5th grade, but recently has not been able to continue her education because fetching water for her household is her responsibility and it is increasingly taking more time and involving more risks.  Amirate travels at least one hour to fetch water which, for her growing family, needs to be done four times a day. There is not a water supply in her village, so she has to use the nearest river, which is highly contaminated further to inappropriate usage upstream and due to the cattle, that also use this for washing and cleaning.  This leads to serious illness, resulting in limited funds being spent on medication, and increased time, making work and an education a rare pursuit.  As a result, Amirat is ecstatic that, in just three months, four water points will be dotted around her community, allowing her to access plentiful, safe water.  This will gift her family with improved health and increased time to pursue schooling and earning needed money.  The start of this project is exciting news indeed!

HOPE UK has had many end of year donations promised for this project, moving us dramatically closer to our fundraising goal.  In light of this generosity, we will be participating in GlobalGiving's #GivingTuesday Campaign, on 30th November, to raise the final £5,000 needed for this 24-month project.  We welcome you to participate in this one-day campaign, knowing your giving will be multiplied and will transform the lives of those in Markala.  THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!