Ethiopia Program Update: October 2009

Bishikiltu

The community of Bishikiltu is a collection of villages located in the rural district of Dawo, a threehour drive west of the capital city, Addis Ababa. Bishikiltu is nearing completion of its longawaited water, sanitation and hygiene education project. Construction began in September of 2008. Water 1st visited Ethiopia in July 2009 and observed the progress the community has made on the project.

Project Progress

Three springs have been successfully capped, protecting the quality of the water and directing flow to a 6,500 gallon collection chamber. The 6,500 gallon collection chamber is also completed. The generator house was receiving its final touches when we were there in July. An industrial-grade diesel generator will power a submersible pump, which will pump water 1.1 miles from the collection chamber to a 20,000 gallon storage/distribution tank. The transmission pipeline and the 20,000 gallon tank have also been completed. From there, the water flows in three directions to 12 public taps, including a tap at the local school.

Most of the seven miles of distribution pipeline has been installed and buried. Community members donated the labor required to dig the trench and bury the pipe. Twelve public tap stands are completed and await installation of the faucets. The taps will also be fenced off. The taps will be open a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon to allow the tap attendants to attend to other activities each day.

A completed spring cap that intercepts the groundwater and diverts it into the water supply system before the water can be contaminated by surface pollutants, such as animal waste. The total flow of the three springs has been measured during the dry season to insure sufficient supply for Bishikiltu as its population grows.

Sanitation and Hygiene Education

The water supply element of our projects absorbs most of the project budget and is the most visually compelling, however the sanitation and hygiene education elements are equally significant in improving the health of community members. Our partner organization reported that 502 households have constructed latrines. Before the project began, virtually no households had latrines.

The community is also receiving hygiene education to learn the most important and effective behaviors for interrupting the spread of disease, such as frequent hand washing, constructing and using latrines, keeping their animals out of the house, and using the tap water for all cleaning purposes (bathing, dish washing, and clothes washing). The hygiene promoters are also the tap attendants. This allows them an opportunity to reinforce the hygiene messages with at least one member of each household on a daily basis.

In July 2009, crews were finishing the last four public tap stands. Here a worker is pouring concrete into the mold. A total of twelve tap stands will serve the community.

It is important to implement water supply, sanitation, and hygiene education at the same time because they are all dependent on one another. If women must carry the water long distances, it is unrealistic to expect they will be able to bathe the kids frequently or use clean water to wash hands, clothes, and dishes. If you have clean water for drinking and cooking, but you haven’t improved hygiene practices, many pathways of disease transmission remain open and health outcomes aren’t significantly improved.

See Your Contribution in Action

Water 1st will visit Bishikiltu in February 2010 to see the project in operation. If you are interested in joining us to celebrate this momentous occasion with the community, take a look at our Water Tour page, or contact Kirk Anderson (phone: 206-297-3024).

Every time we have visited Bishikiltu, there has been a steady stream of women and children walking to and from the traditional water source. Thanks to the community’s hard work and determination, the skills of our partner organization, and your concern and contributions, that walk will soon be a memory.