“As there is apt availability of water, my 2 children are taking baths daily. Previously they were taking baths twice a week due to less availability of the water. The need to visit the doctor is decreased. Now they seem healthier. Through this clean water I now have access to many opportunities. I attend my job on time now as I do not worry about the burden of collecting water for my entire family. My children are studying well as now they don’t need to spend their study hours collecting water. We are very grateful to the SMEC Foundation & BridgIT Water Foundation.”
“Now we are saved from the need to walk 4 kilometers to fetch domestic water. The drinking water bore-well is in a convenient point in our village. Now I am spending more time in my garment selling business and earning a good income.”
Ethiopia
With support from the SMEC Foundation and the family of the late Alastair McKendrick, a former long serving SMEC Director and Group CFO, who passed away in September 2018, drinking water wells are being constructed in four remote villages in the Somali Region, Ethiopia. These wells will provide 11,000 community members with all year access to safe drinking water.
This project faces unique challenges due to arid agro-climatic conditions, erratic and unreliable rainfall, and poor hydro-geologic conditions. Drought is common in the dry season, with flooding occurring in the wet season. The area is extremely remote (1300km from Addis Ababa, the nearest major center) and only accessible via unpaved roads, making transportation of materials and equipment difficult.
A community-based approach is being implemented, with locals actively participating in the planning, management and monitoring of the construction project. A Water User Committee (WUC) will be established in each village and trained in how to sustain the water resource.