water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion in the oromiya

Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion In the Oromiya Region, Southern Ethiopia

Project Report: Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion Project

in the Oromiya Region - Southern Ethiopia

Project Background

A long-term, collaborative partnership began in 2007 between the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus

and Lifewater International. In the five years since the organizations started working together, more than

100,000 people have received access to safe water, more than 50,000 have learned basic hygiene and

sanitation principles, and the gospel has been preached in word and deed in nearly every community. Through

the generous donations of Lifewater’s supporters, the Mekane Yesus Church’s, Development and Social

Services Commission (DASSC) has implemented the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion Project in

four districts of the Oromiya Region in southern Ethiopia.

This project started in August of 2009, and since that time, 106 community

water systems have been constructed, which currently provide safe water

to more than 72,547 men, women and children. The walking distance to a

safe water source was shortened to a radius of a maximum of 1.5 km (0.9

mile), reducing the physical burden on women and girls who carry water.

The time and energy saved provides additional time for productive chores,

income generating activities, family, and school. The traditional water

sources which caused disease and death no longer pose such threats;

instead, life-saving clean water supplies are helping people and communities

grow, prosper and live healthy and abundant lives.

Ogo Denbi Kebele, a local administrative division, is located in the Bule Hora

District of Ethiopia’s Oromiya Region. Ogo Denbi has a population of

approximately 7,600 people and is one of the many Kebele’s in the project

area which have received drinking water, and hygiene and sanitation

education in the past three years. When this project began, safe water in Bule Hora was accessible to only 46%

of its 317,342 residents, living in 37 Kebeles. The presence of Mekane Yesus Church in communities has

impacted people of many faith backgrounds, including Muslim, Animist, Orthodox and pagan peoples.

Due to its geographical remoteness,

outlying Kebeles like Ogo Denbi and its

neighbors never had the opportunity for

safe drinking water. Women and girls

would collect dirty water from unsafe

sources such as open ponds, rivers or hand

dug wells. Children suffered from diarrhea,

scabies and gastrointestinal parasites as

documented in local clinical records.

Today, the story looks very different.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Project dates: August

2009 to March 2013

106 communities

72,547 people served

with safe drinking water

36,714 Hygiene trained

$237,426 in cost-share

donated by Lifewater

supporters


Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Ogo Denbi

The drought of 2011-12 prioritized the provision of safe water as

the number one community development goal. In the Ogo Denbi

Kebele, DASSC constructed four hand dug wells which are

protected with a sanitary seal to prevent infiltration of surface

water. A hand pump was installed to prevent contamination

from bacteria. Additionally, improvements were made to two

local springs by protecting the spring watershed and containing

flow to allow for easy and clean collection. These six safe water

sources now provide safe drinking water to more than 3,200

people, or 42% of the Kebele. In the eyes of the local government

and local people, the progress made seems remarkable and all

the water systems are highly appreciated by all the community

users.

In addition to safe water supplies, Lifewater and DASSC made

a tremendous effort to promote family behavior change in

hygiene and sanitation practices. To accomplish this goal,

DASSC built demonstration latrines in populated places to

showcase examples of what could be constructed using

simple, local materials. The DASSC field staff then trained

villagers in simple construction methods and provided hand

tools so people could build pit toilets for their own families.

To date, 72 households in Ogo Denbi have constructed

improved household pit latrines, which are being used by

more than 500 family members.

The hygiene education program focused on water-related

diseases, caused primarily through transmission of germs

from unburied feces and dirty hands. Lifewater hosted four

training workshops using volunteer field trainers to teach

Community Health through Hygiene to DASSC staff and its field workers. Lifewater used participatory methods

to create ownership in local trainers, tapping into local knowledge and asking participants to develop their

own solutions. We used a training-of-trainers (TOT) strategy to spread the word quickly, multiplying new ideas

rapidly across a wide geographic area. The most critical hygiene and sanitation topics taught included: 1) hand

washing at critical times, 2) safe storage of clean water, and 3) safe fecal disposal. Training provided

community members with healthy behaviors to block the spread of germs and diseases. Access to safe water

sources coupled with sanitation facilities and improved hygiene practices are arresting health-related problems,

especially for children under-five years. The rate of acute watery diarrhea reported in the Kebeles has dropped

dramatically during the project.

Village WASH promoters taught hygiene and sanitation in eight sub-villages in the Ogo Denbi Kebele. They

conducted house-to-house visits to inspect facilities and teach individual families on healthy hygiene behaviors.

Traditional water sources like the

unprotected hand dug well (top) and

spring (below) were common places to

fetch water in Ogo Denbi.


Hygiene promoters used social and cultural gatherings, such as religious festivals and administrative holidays as

opportunities to share WASH messages. During the past several months, 2,345 people in Ogo Denbi received

training on water, sanitation and hygiene topics. In addition, a special effort was made to host specialized

training for 30 community leaders from Ogo Denbi -- best practices have shown that involving influential

community leaders as “agents of change” is an important step towards long term ownership and

sustainability. After the leaders training, they initiated Kebele-level WASH promotion campaigns of their own,

demonstrating their ownership and interests in WASH had increased.

Ogo Denbi School students were the beneficiaries of WASH training using Lifewater’s: Ten Building Blocks for

Better Health – a Primary School WASH Curriculum. Lifewater trained teachers who motivated students and

helped initiate after-school WASH clubs. Thirty WASH Club students (15 boys and 15 girls) received training from

their teachers over several weeks. They encouraged the students in health clubs to “share what you know”

with other students, in their homes and in the community at large. The 10 Building Blocks for Better Health

curriculum is a fun program designed for children that used songs, dramas, and poems to teach these topics:

Drink, drink safe water! Know the difference between safe and unsafe water! Stop the spread of diseases!

Keep our bodies clean! Keep safe water safe! Keep food and utensils clean! Use latrines always! Keep our

schools and homes clean! Use safe water when caring for sick people! Share what you know about better

health! The students trained in the 10 Building Blocks for Better Health program have been raising awareness

with their families, with other students from nearby schools, and in their own communities at home. So far the

school WASH clubs have reached 1,120 people with culturally appropriate WASH messages.

Local Community Involvement

Lifewater and DASSC believe that

involvement by community members is

imperative to building local ownership,

which ultimately helps to sustain the

operation of the water system. People

generously donated their time and labor to

the project by contributing unskilled labor,

excavating springs, clearing brush, building

roads, and transporting building materials

from the main road to the village.

Community members fenced wells and

springs to protect them from damages

which could be caused by donkeys, cows or

wild animals. Watershed protection is being

encouraged by villagers who are

regenerating vegetation and planting coffee

and tree seedlings to help maintain the water

table.

Local management of water systems is an important factor leading to long-term, sustainable operation and

maintenance of water supplies. According to the project design, local Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

A local WASH Committee meets under the shade of the

community tree to discuss the governance of its water

system.


Committees have been established at all new or rehabilitated water systems by DASSC. Each WASH committee

consists of seven members, of which four members are women and three are men. Women provide direct

oversight of hand pump operations, and their involvement has

encouraged cooperation among water users. WASH Committee

members organize the community, and facilitate setting the

monthly user-fee; they are also responsible for collection of funds

and depositing user-fees into the bank. Committee members from

almost all water schemes received three days of governance

training. To date, a total of 42 WASH Committee members have

taken part in governance training, which was done in collaboration

with the local Ministry of Water government office. The WASH

Committee members are seriously adhering to their

responsibilities to collect fees, to maintain and protect the water

schemes and provide watershed protection for surrounding

environment.

Community Impacts

Impressive health, social and educational impacts are emerging

following safe water supply and effective sanitation and hygiene

promotion in Ogo Denbi. Parents and health extension workers

reported that children have rarely been affected by diarrhea, scabies

and intestinal parasites since the establishment of safe water

systems. Because the newly developed water systems are within the acceptable walking distance of 1.5

kilometers radius, women and girls have reported a reduced workload. More girls are in school this academic

year as compared to previous years. Mothers are engaged in gardening, handcrafting and small trade to

generate additional income for the household. A final project evaluation was recently completed and once

published will provide statistical details on the cumulative changes seen in communities. In addition, the

Mekane Yesus Church also collects data on church growth annually, which will be available in the spring and

help indicated spiritual changes in communities as a result of this project.

Sustainability

Development practices have changed in recent years to place a greater emphasis on long-term gains and

sustainability. In order to sustain the functionality of safe water systems, three water technicians from each of

eight sub-villages within Ogo Denbi Kebele were trained to diagnose problems and make minor repairs to hand

pumps. Technicians were also taught ho w to maintain spring improvements for long-lasting use. The local

government Ministry of Water office will provide technical support and loan out hand tools for pump repairs as

needed. Another important factor in sustainability is the financial contribution from local users. People now

recognize the importance of paying into a maintenance fund to sustain the local water system. People have

collectively decided on the user-fee rate at three Ethiopian Birr per household per month (about $0.18/mo). The

cash is being collected by the WASH Committee and is deposited in separate bank accounts. The process has

been transparent with high levels of accountability, so the default rate has been minimal. Mrs. Halaku Gumi,

the treasurer of one of the WASH Committees, says “we have some money in the bank which will be used to pay

for the pump caretaker, repair and maintenance and eventually to develop another well. We have more than 550

Each household pays a user-fee

monthly, which is deposited in a

special community bank account

with pass-book (above).


Ethiopian Birr (about $32) in only six months. Thanks to our almighty God and the donors. We have been taught

the road to development”. In some places, the collection of user-fees is being complemented with the idea of

generating additional financial income by planting seedlings of fruit trees, and coffee around the protected

water schemes while protecting the natural environment.

Success Stories from the Field

Ogo Denbi Student Appreciates Safe Water

The Ogo Denbi primary school has approximately

960 students in first through eighth grades. Eleven-

year old Tinishu Burka is a fourth grade student who

is a member of the Gumi after school WASH Club at

Ogo Denbi School. His family benefits from the new

water well placed in his community. Tinishu explains

that he has learned about sanitation and hygiene at

school, especially appreciates hand washing at

critical times. In June 2012, his WASH Club held a WASH promotion campaign in town, marching through the

streets carrying banners declaring WASH messages during market day. The students’ enthusiasm impressed

the local shoppers, some of whom were parents of the children. Tinishu said, “I have not had stomach

problems since my family started using water from

the safe water well”, and added, “I now go to school

on-time, since the well is located close to my home.”

In this part of Ethiopia, boys have begun to fetch

water, which breaks with gender-related cultural

norms. Gender issues are a key development focus,

and WASH programs encourage girls to stay in

school.

WASH Committee Member and Mother Thankful

for Clean Water

Mrs. Halaku Gumi, is a 44 year-old resident of Ogo

Denbi Kebele, a mother, and a member of the WASH

Committee at the Micha Well. Halaku has been serving

as Treasurer for the WASH Committee for the last one

and a half years. At a local committee meeting, she

spoke about her previous water supply, “we feared

sending our children to fetch water from the uncovered well in which runoff caries feces and all dirty thing. As

a result we were all suffering from water born diseases”. Happily, she exclaims that the kids can fetch water

“Fetching water is no longer affecting my schooling,

the water is now safe to drink and at close distance

to my home…” says Tinishu Burka, a fourth grade

student from Ogo Denbi School.

Now I am proud to invite my neighbors on

holidays; because we have got clean water and

clean latrine, my children no longer suffer from

stomach aches.”


now without problems; they can go to school on time and everyone drinks clean water! “When guests came to

my house from town, I was ashamed to give them the water we used to drink or to tell them to defecate in the

garden. I felt sad”. Now I am proud to invite my neighbors on holidays; because we have got clean water and

clean latrine, my children no longer suffer from stomach aches.”

Conclusion

Lifewater and its partners are thankful for your participation to help make this project a success! Thank you for

your financial support and your prayers for this special project in Ethiopia. The WASH Committee members

from Ogo Denbi Kebele sent this special message to Lifewater’s supporters to let you know how much this has

meant to them.

May the Lord bless you, your services and life with love, peace, health and wealth

We praise our Lord Jesus Christ since He responded to our prayers and tears for years

Our children are now healthy and we are sending them to school regularly

We promise to do our level best to sustain the water systems

There are many more households who are not yet reached in this Kebele, and we need your prayers to

continue

Thank you!

water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion in the oromiya

Documents