Economic Growth Ethiopia Project #25792

Clean Water Needed to Transform Mela Gagula

by HOPE International Development Agency

Project Report | Nov 6, 2017
Water has arrived and the system is theirs!

By Julie Cole | Fundraiser, HOPE UK

The joy of clean water!

Each of the 2,400 inhabitants of Mela Gagula is celebrating because clean water has now arrived in their village! They are so thankful!

Four springs have been capped. Two reservoirs have been constructed. Nearly six kilometres of pipeline has been laid. Ten water points have been built and nine water basins are available for use. Vitally their water fetching time has been reduced from 3-4 hours to less than 15 minutes. This leaves time for the children to attend school and their parents to earn money to support their families. They now have one of the life's most essential needs and they are starting to see positive results; there is time and energy to plan for the future!

In addition, each of the 480 households in Mela Gagula has now received health, hygiene and sanitation education. These have taken place in large community meetings, and HOPE staff members have also visited each home to provide training. This has taught families the need for digging a pit latrine and managing a waste area to prevent the spread of germs. They have also been shown how to construct hand washing stations and kitchen utensil drying racks. Many households are already benefitting from the water overflow from the taps for their kitchen gardens and are growing a greater variety of nutritious vegetables and fruits. As a result, their health is already improving and there are fewer reported incidences of diarrhoea, other waterbourne diseases and eye infections.

Twelve self-help groups have also been created for 240 women from Mela Gagula to teach them basic business skills. These women are now starting to save small amounts of money weekly and are increasing their entrepreneurial capacity so that they might start income generating activities to benefit their families. The groups are learning the principles of lending money to one another to fund these small business start-ups. It is reported that social relationships are strengthening and the self-confidence of the women is growing.

Many of these women are keen to report to HOPE's Programme Manager what they have learnt. "I now have an incredible knowledge about how to protect my family from disease. I have learnt about the importance of building a pit latrine, and about personal and environmental sanitation. I have gained experience on how to support my family and now I’m equipped to start a sustainable and profitable business. I can now lead an effective and joyful life."

The Mela Gagula community has been fully involved from the outset of the project and throughout the stages of implementation. Like all of HOPE's projects, an emphasis was placed on close cooperation and collaboration with the community, ensuring a hands-on ownership of the project by the local men and women. Throughout its 30 years of working in the region, HOPE has found this level of community involvement to be vital in ensuring long-term sustainability. The local community agreed to provide labour and local materials for the construction of the project and now they are taking full responsibility for the installed system, along with on-going support from the local government. Water caretakers have been empowered through thorough training and a Water Committee has been appointed to manage the system for the future. Therefore, an official handover ceremony, which took place last week, is an essential marker so that the community knows the system is now their responsibility and the benefits of having access to clean water is in their capable hands.

Whilst the water system is now in full use and the ownership of the system belongs to the community, a HOPE staff member will continue to live in the community for another 21 months. Their role is to continue facilitating the self-help groups for the women, ensuring new businesses are started and money is being generated. They will also continue to provide support to the locally appointed health educators, who will continue to guide the community in their learning of new behaviours to benefit their health. The two-year commitment by HOPE to have a staff member present in the community is now a requirement of the Ethiopian government.

Thank you for contributing to a new future for this community of 2,400 people.

HOPE UK is now raising funds for a water system in another rural Ethiopian village. Would you consider also supporting our life-changing work in that community of 1,986? To make a donation, follow this link.

Also, if you would like to receive HOPE's regular newsletter (4-5 times a year), please send us your details so we can add you to our email list. Please email us at admin@hope-international.org.uk. We'd love to hear from you!

The handover of the system to the community

Water - the catalyst of change!

Water - less than 15 minutes from home!

A wonderful celebration of clean water!

Links:

Visit our Facebook page and watch a video of their celebration!

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Aug 7, 2017
Just days away from clean water!

By Julie Cole | Fundraiser

Building the water reservoir

Can you imagine the excitement that is building in Mela Gagula, only days before the taps will be turned on and 2,400 people will be able to access clean, safe water for the first time? Never before have their days not be dominated by sourcing water that often brings illness and eye infections. Never before have domestic duties been achieved in sufficient time for children to also attend a full day of school. Never before have women not been carrying the burden of cooking and cleaning and also looking after ill family members whilst also ensuring that water is collected, although 3-4 hours away. Never before have they not worried as they sent their daughters off to source water, fearing for their safety and future.

Now, however, their dream is coming true and access to clean water will thoroughly change their lives and the lives of future generations.

For this project, four springs have now been capped to ensure there is enough water for each of the 10 water points, evenly distributed around the village, one which is specifically for the local school. Two water tankers are also complete. The final pipe line to carry clean water 5.9 km from the spring to the village has been laid. In addition, thus far 49 pit latrines have been dug and the community are starting to practice improved hygiene practices – e.g. washing hands frequently with soap - as a result of HOPE’s health and sanitation education. These attitudinal changes that have already been witnessed by HOPE staff show there is great commitment to fully benefit from the new water system and passion to maximise all of clean water's benefits, which is key for sustainability.

In addition, 12 groups of 20 women each will soon be starting new, small businesses as a result of their training from HOPE staff on entrepreneurial skills. These groups have been meeting and for the first time ever, these women are starting to save money, in preparation for lending to one another to assist with kick-starting personal and group income generation. Although literacy is limited, because so few of these women had the opportunity to attend school, there is a growing confidence that they will be able to financially contribute to their families and have a louder and stronger voice within their marriages and wider-community.

The taps are due to be turned on in mid-August. Immediately after, the quality of life for these women and their children, in particular, will change as they will no longer need to walk 3-4 hours for water each day. The health of the community will improve rapidly as they drink, cook, and wash with water that is safe and not contaminated. The health of their livestock will benefit as well. More food will be grown and consumed. The quality of their lives will have improved beyond measure.

Thank you for making this possible!

Do follow our fundraising progress on our next water and sanitation project in Alugube and Durbe and support us in changing more lives!

Trench digging

Using new pit latrine and hand washing

Community contribution

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May 17, 2017
The community begins work in Mela Gagula!

By Julie Cole | Fundraiser, HOPE UK

Locals collecting building materials

In the past month work has started on the Water and Sanitation project in Mela Gagula. This is monumental news for the 672 households that have never had access to clean water previously! We are very grateful for those of you who recently donated to this project (including those of you who sponsored Kendrick on his 10k run), as it meant that the project could go ahead as planned.

Before work could start, members of the community had to first build a road to their village so that HOPE's vehicles and lorries could deliver the necessary building and plumbing materials. A road that was accessible to vehicles never existed previously. This was back-breaking work for the community, but one they knew would be the start of a different future. The road was completed at the end of April, but poor weather conditions meant there was a delay until the materials could safely be delivered.

In the meantime, HOPE construction staff (a hydrologist, foreman and truck driver) as well as our HOPE health educationalist have set up their tents in the village and will be living in Mela Gagula until their work is complete. This allows them time to develop genuine relationships with the local people and model using good hygiene and sanitation decisions. They will also provide much training - for the 20 Water Caretakers that have been appointed to repair and maintain the water system - and for 15 Community Educators who will teach each household about practicing improved hygiene behaviours (such as building pit latrines and the hygienic use of them, hand-washing with clean water, safe food preparation and storage). This training for local people is essential to ensure that the community fully benefits from access to clean water by changing their previous habits, but also so that the system will continue to be operational years after HOPE has moved on. From this early stage, there is already a sense of local ownership of the water system, which will essentially lead to sustainability and an increased confidence in local skills.

Since the beginning of May, the weather conditions have stabilised and the HOPE construction team have requested the community to collect and provide local materials that are available. These include rocks and stones for the water tanks and points, as well as sand. Wood from local trees will also be needed for fencing around each of the 10 water points to ensure they are kept safe and not damaged by animals. For this project, two springs are being capped to ensure there is enough water for each of the water points. Soon pipe lines will be dug 5.9km, from the spring to the village, to carry the clean water. This will be the next task for members of the community which will take many weeks.

Thank you again for your support of this project. You can see how work is progressing and, assuming there are no more interruptions to the work, the taps should be turned on August! We will keep you informed. Immediately after the lifestyle and quality of life for women and their children, in particular, will change as they will no longer need to walk 3-4 hours for water each day. Health of the community will improve rapidly as they drink, cook, and wash with water that is safe and not contaminated. The health of their livestock will benefit as well. More food will be grown and consumed. Children will therefore be able to attend school regularly and their parents can then devote themselves to efforts to earn needed money for their families. In addition, 240 women will soon be starting new, small business as a result of their new training from HOPE staff on entrepreneurial skills, as well as fundamentals of saving and lending money.

Work will continue to progress in Mela Gagula but in the UK, we are now turning our attention to our next project in another Ethiopian village called Alugube and Durbe. Join us by making a donation to bring life-changing water to that community of 1,986 as well.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with our ongoing investment in rural Ethiopia by receiving HOPE's e-newsletters, please email us at admin@hope-international.org.uk.

We appreciate your donations and support which have helped to bring hope to the rural village of Mela Gagula.

Some members of Mela Gagula's new Water Committee!

The new road to the village

Materials can now be delivered!

Locals counting the days until clean water arrives

Links:

HOPE's website

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