Abdikadir Abdul Salam/BORESHA Project
Residents of Dollo Ado and Dollo Bay in Ethiopia have every reason to smile because they can access safe and clean water at their doorstep through the effort of equipping and solarization of the borehole. The residents have been facing shortages and lack of clean water for many years: the only source of water they had was the river which is 10 kilometres away. Access to safe water being their biggest burden, it leads to displacement, low school enrolment, conflict over water resources and poor livestock body condition among other serious problems. During the dry season, the water level reduces and communities end up fighting over the scarce resource.
Traditionally in the project area women and girls play a key role in fetching water, doing house chores, and walking long distances to collect firewood. These tasks have exposed them to gender-based violence, and health risks, leaving them with long-term effects that are hard to heal or forget. Women and girls in the project areas were exposed to risks daily when they walked to the river to collect water for their household needs and their livestock. Young girls and women were sometimes abused and assaulted on their way to the river or back, the water was also not clean for human consumption and this posed more risk of getting transmissible diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Children below 5 years, lactating mothers and the elderly were the most affected by waterborne diseases because of their higher vulnerability.
With funding from EUTF implemented by CARE, BORESHA is changing the dire water crisis by constructing /rehabilitating water points and installing water solar panels in several settlement areas of Dollo Ado and Dollo Bay. A total of 20 systems installed by CARE are up and running in the two district capitals and other towns or villages such as Suftu, Rama, Kurele, and Fiko. The solar-powered water systems are making water more available and accessible to all in these areas. Connections were made to enable house-to-house water supply.
Kedija Dhubeane, a 30-year-old widowed mother of 7 and her family’s breadwinner, lives in Berdale community, Dollo Town. Now she has enough time to operate her small business of selling Khat (a stimulant leaf) in town, taking care of her children and sending them to school on time and regularly. Previously this was a big challenge for her since she had to send her kids to the river to fetch water before school or after school.
“I’m glad my children are not wasting a lot of time fetching water: instead they have saved time to engage with their studies, go to school on time, play with their friends, and engaged in other tasks. I have also focused on my business in expanding it by selling milk and I’m making good money” says Kedija.
Thanks to the BORESHA project bringing water closer to Dollo Ado and Dollo Bay through the expansion and solarization of community water systems, over 100,000 people have been reached are now empowered to maximize their gains by spending their energy and time on other useful activities. The impact is particularly meaningful for women and children.