This project has been completed. To read about the start of the project, CLICK HERE.
Here we have a story of personal and community transformation using the power of water in Adulala, a village in Ethiopia. A solar water pump and storage tank system were installed greatly improving the lives of the villagers.
Our team on the ground reports:
This small rural village is located in the Arsi Negele District of the West Arsi Zone in the Oromia Region. It is situated in the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia approximately 240 kms south of Addis Ababa, about a four-hour drive. The project included installation of solar panels, and a water storage and distribution system. This new system now serves 1,600 beneficiaries.
Solar powered groundwater pumping systems have become practical and affordable solutions in Ethiopia where the power grid is unavailable or unreliable and the cost of drilling new wells is high. They are also easy to install and maintain with a life expectancy of approximately 20 years.
This solar pumping system includes a Grundfos electric submersible pump, controller, solar panels, supply line, elevated reservoir for gravity flow, and a public water point consisting of three taps. The three faucets help the community women and girls to fetch water easily from the taps. Now, women and children no longer have to spend time hand pumping to fill their jerry cans (water containers).
One of the driving forces behind this effort was a local woman named Mammay. Mammay is responsible for collecting water for her family. She started by fetching water from a polluted river that took three hours out of each day. Mammay is a mother of 9 children and a leader of the Water Use Committee (WUC) Water Charity helped found when we did our first projects there nearly 10 years ago. This WUC manages the productive drinking water-well that we constructed near her home in 2009. The Water Use Committee charges families a small fee for water, and with these water funds they have been able to make micro loans to many women in the community further increasing the impact of the clean water solution.
The population has grown with time and the existing pump had been overused causing frequent breakdowns. This new solar-powered pump and tank delivery system has revolutionized the lives of all the women and girls who collect water. Mammay can also irrigate her gardens to produce even more fruits and vegetables. She is filled with joy!
THANK YOU, Water Charity! We are grateful for your continued support!