Safe water beneficiaries in North Shewa say, “ No more to say come to Gotet if you are homeless!”
More than 200 households live in ‘Gotet’ village of Ejerssa Kebele, about 8 kilometers far from Deneba town in Siadebir and Wayu Woreda of the Northern Shoa Zone of Amhara region. Agroecology of the area is suitable to produce barley, wheat, bean, lentil and other crops. Farmers also benefit from animal fattening. For centuries, they have lived in worse water crisis.
The regional government made several attempts capturing modern drilling equipment and qualified professionals to tap groundwater for the village. However, there had been no hope to get underground water.
As a result, inhabitants of Gotet Kubetie were obliged to pass difficult topography which makes them walk ups and downs, risking their lives during fetching water from Ambo River. Residents say that it would take more than two hours to fetch water from the river.
Yet, though they use the Ambo River to drink water, they see it as an evil adversary; many people and animals were dying in this difficult, downhill way that cannot enable to pass more than one person at a time. Everyone remembers the victims of this area. However, it is impossible to live without water, so they have to continue fetching water for them and their cattle.
Tefera Mamushet is one of the residents. He is 37 and has six children. He manages his family on a 1.5 hectare plot of land producing up to 32 quintals of beans, tef, wheat and lentil. He says, "I am a little better than others in life, so I bring water from Daneba town on my donkey’s back." We asked why he does not bring water from the Ambo River as others and he said, “The long line ups of users of Ambo River and its challenge made me decide to go away from it. After my aunt Wegayehu Hailesenbet died when she tried to fetch water, she rolled down the mountain & died. Since that time, I stopped to fetch water from that river."
Ato Tefera thought back for a while and exclaimed, “This River has killed more than 11 people and many animals in recent years. Particularly, villagers felt deep sorrow when W/ro Zewdnesh, a mother of six, died in a gorge when she was going to fetch water. Now, her husband is obliged to send his children to other place where relatives live, and the children will not come to their home back because they have lost their mother.”
W/ro Alemitu Sahlemariam is also a resident of this kebele. She used to fetch water from Ambo River. She recalled residents were fighting one another because of the long queue to fetch water. Some strong residents were fetching water at night. Moving along the very narrow and hilly road to the river is worse at night. It took the lives of many of her friends.
W/ro Alemitu added, “Our hearts have been broken by the loss of our cattle; moreover, young men of villagers could not get marriage in nearby kebeles because of lack of safe water in the kebele. There was also a saying which undermines us – 'Come to Gotet if you are homeless!' But, now this history is completely changed.”
Today, ORDA partnering with ‘Charity Water’ dug up a deep well and provided them water. When the water came out, people were filled with joy praising God who lifts water from a rock to satisfy people. And, residents could not believe that water is pumped out. When ORDA was working in the area, people were sitting idle and waiting in anticipation. Eventually, everything completed successfully. Currently, residents of ‘Gotet’ express their gratefulness to ORDA and Charity Water for their countless effort to solve their water problem.
Energy saving stoves a means to conserving Nature
Gedra kebele, Thuledere woreda, is owned with degraded land and victim for deforestation. The mountainous locality in collaboration with lack of caring the farmland by farmers leads to low productivity.
ORDA’s Growth for the Future: Enhancing market system for improved sustainable livelihood project has been intervening in the area’s watershed to restore its nature. Hence, energy saving stoves is a means to reduce deforestation of fire wood. A group composed of 15 members is producing a stove as part of a solution in the kebele, and it created a job for jobless.
The stove is improved one; it dose release smoke out of the house via its long tunnel. It is smoke free inside the cooking room as it protects mothers from smoke cuase eye desease.
The stove producers are now manufacturing 20 Enjera Beking stoves a cost of 300 Birr each for an order from locality farmers. They will earn an income in parallel to saving the fuel wood and deforestation.
Hygiene and Sanitation for a better life!
Alike individual toilets at household level, institutional ventilated pit latrine plays a significant role in improving the lives of people. ORDA in collaboration with WHH completed construction of 2 blocks ventilated pit latrine schemes having 4 seats each in Degolema primary school in Debre Elias woreda. The scheme benefits a total of 1,166 students (male 541 & female 625.)
These latrine can be exemplary that it’s inclusive for people with disability and females’ block is constructed in opposite direction from males.
In the same token, 2 blocks ventilated pit latrine schemes having 4 seats each in Gidimbil primary school (a total of 412 students and teachers) in Sinan Woreda is fully completed.
Acknowledgement- ORDA gratefully appreciates the strategic partner WHH and funding donors Viva Con Agua, J2XU, ANRS Bureau of Finance & Economic Cooperation.
Improved Hygiene and Sanitation for a better life!
"ORDA Made Me to Have a Car"
Farmer zeki Hussen, aged 45, lives in Kachur kebele around kemise town, Oromo Nationality Zone. He is married and has 7 children.
His livelihood bases on agriculture. But due to low productivity of his farm, his earning was getting low, and he was in boubt to feed his family. Even he was in in trouble to send the children to school. He was searching off work Opportunities to survive his family.
The residence of farmer Zeki, Kachur kebele is located in Dewa chefa worda. It has a short summer and hot weather condition.
The farmer’s farm land is covered by over flow of Borkena river in summer. He could not cultivate crop, and when the over flow retreats, the summer outs soon and no moisture at all.
The locality farmers earn their annual food by sewing sorghum & teff on a land which is free from the Boreken over flow. As result farmer zeki and his neighbours used to live in food insecurity. Unless he did a daily work, he could not afford his family food and other basic need expenses.
As his family member is getting large, zeki was thinking how to accommodate his family food expense. He had thought to conduct irrigation but there was no water there, and he became hopless again. In this occasion ORDA’s Growth for the Future: Enhancing market system for improved sustainable livelihood project has began to be implemented in Dewa chefa woreda with 25.7 million birr secured from Sweden International Development Agency implementing through consortium by farm Africa, Mercy corps and ORDA. Zeki had shown a great interest to participate in the project and has been selected.
First, Zeki had gotten a technical training on modern horticulture practice. In addition, he shared an experience from Raya kobo farmers whom conduct horticulture farming.
The project first convinced the farmers to make a group in 10 farmers to have one communal Pond. The project follows cost sharing scheme and the farmers cover the digging of the pond basement by renting digging machine. Then the project constructed the pond and transferred to the the farmers. And the farmers have been growing different vegitables & fruits on their yard. They got a solar water pump, which costs 18 thousand birr from the project.
ORDA’ G4F Project supplied different hybrid horticulture seedlings of Banana, Onion, Tomato and Rice for the beneficiary farmers.
Now farmer Zeki cultivates three times a year by using the pond. In 2018/19 crop season, he produced Teff, onion, greenpeper, Tomato and chickpea in three rounds and got a good income.
“Aftre oRDA’s G4F project constructed the community pond; I had grown an onion and got 25 suck of onion which was sold 50 thousand Birr. Then I earned 23 suck of chekpea from the same land. In the 3rd season I had sowen greenpeper and earned 13 thousand birr, from Tomato 16 thousand birr & from Mung bean 8 thousand birr. In general I earned 260 thousand Birr, and I bought a small lorry. Now I expand my income beyond the farming; ORDA made me to have a car”, said farmer Zeki.
The farmer has consulted other farmers to buy a medium tractor in share and to mechanize their farm.
In parallel to expansion of his farm, a marketing commite is organized to address more market for their product in the future.
Critical Hand washing Time!
Washing your hands correctly is the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against a number of infectious diseases, such as influenza (the “flu”) and the common cold. Not only will it help keep you healthy, it will help prevent the spread of infectious diseases to others.
Even if your hands appear to be clean, they may carry germs. Hands pick up micro-organisms (germs) in a number of ways
Benefits of washing your hands
Lowers Risk of Diarrhea and Intestinal Problems
Washing hands lowers the risk of having diarrhea and developing intestinal infections, an important benefit particularly for children. Diarrhea disease is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 throughout the world. Contact with fecal matter causes such illnesses and can be prevented by washing hands with soap. It may also prevent complications connected to intestinal worms.
Prevents Eye Infections
The spread of bacterial eye infections, such as trachoma, can be reduced through regular hand washing. It can also lower the likelihood of contracting conjunctivitis, or pink eye. This irritating eye condition causes eye pain, itching, light sensitivity and discharge. It is spread a number of ways, with the most common being through viruses. Always wash your hands before putting in contacts, as being a contacts wearer increases your risk of having pink eye.
Lowers Respiratory Infection Risk
You can lower your chances of developing an acute respiratory infection by making hand washing a priority. The pathogens that cause respiratory complications are commonly found on surfaces and hands. Some of the pathogens associated with diarrhea also cause respiratory problems. Hand washing significantly reduces your chances of getting sick.
When should you wash your hands
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After touching garbage
Although hand washing might seem like a simple task, you should follow these steps to thoroughly rid your hands of germs.
How to wash your hands
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are useful when soap and water are not available. In most cases antibacterial soap is not necessary for safe, effective hand hygiene.
• Remove any hand or arm jewelry you may be wearing and wet your hands with warm water. Add regular soap and rub your hands together, ensuring you have lathered all surfaces for at least 15 seconds. How long is 15 seconds? The length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday.
• Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails.
• Rinse your hands well under warm running water, using a rubbing motion.
• Wipe and dry your hands gently with a paper towel or a clean towel. Drying them vigorously can damage the skin.
• Turn off the tap using the paper towel so that you do not re-contaminate your hands. When using a public bathroom, use the same paper towel to open the door when you leave.
• If skin dryness is a problem, use a moisturizing lotion.