By Katie Fotofili | Project Leader
Thank you to everyone who has supported this project so far! Including offline donations, we have raised over $14,000, or 85% of our total goal! As we near the finish line, our Project Director and local team in Benin will begin the process of choosing the site for our new solar-powered potable water system, a difficult task given the overwhelming need. Our local team operates under the guideline that each person requires at least 10 liters of water per day, and each community requires at least one potable water access point per 2500 people. Yet at least one community in Kalalé has 9,647 people sharing a single potable water source.
According to UNESCO, 45 percent of Benin’s population is exposed to unsafe water. Overall, waterborne illnesses account for over 19 percent of all deaths each year. Malaria, bilharzia (a disease caused by parasitic worms), cholera, and other diarrheal diseases are constant threats. Children with under-developed immune systems are the most vulnerable, with over half of children’s health center visits attributed to malaria and diarrheal diseases. Benin, which ranks 166 out of 186 in the Human Development Index, is desperately trying to reach the Millennium Development Goal of improved water sanitation. To do so, however, it must find a way to provide a quarter of its population access to clean water.
Benin is in its rainy season at the moment, but later this fall, the dry season will return, making clean water once again difficult to get. Our hope us that we can install this well in time to make a difference in at least one community.
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