The British Ambassador to Ethiopia H E Mr Greg Dorey recently paid a visit to Kechene area in Gullele Sub-City of Addis Ababa where the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Project is being implemented.
H E Mr Dorey, who is also the Permanent Representative to the African Union emphasised on the importance of availability of potable water as an important component of health development for communities especially women and children.
Communal WASH services have become favourable models particularly for poor communities residing in slums such as Kechene. Statistics indicate that there has been a reduction of water-borne illnesses in Kechene for the past three years. According to the Head of Sub-City Health Bureau Disease Prevention & Control Officer, Mr Melaku Temeselew and the officials at Selam Health Center, water-borne illnesses were among the top five diseases in the area and have since reduced and therefore not in the top ten. The Ambassador was accompanied by Ms Angela Spilsbury, the Senior Health Adviser to the Department for International Development Ethiopia when he visited Selam Health Center where the cases of water-borne diseases have drastically dropped. However, the health centre which serves about 8000 people, faces other challenges such as shortage of qualified health practitioners.
British Ambassador to Ethiopia H E Mr Greg Dorey and members of the AMREF Ethiopia team at the Kechene WASH project site
Based on the reports and discussions in Kechene and Selam Health Centre, the ambassador observed that reduction in water-related illnesses had attributed to urban health programmes and improved access to clean water, improved hygienic practices and sanitation facilities. He also appreciated the linkages the WASH intervention has with income generating activities undertaken by the community members through revolving fund as a sustainability measure. The Ambassador blogs about the visit on his blog http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/gregdorey/2012/08/31/wash-ing-the-community/
The implementation of WASH intervention in Kechene cost 610, 000 euros and was supported by Diageo, Opal Foundation, Euromoney and Boeing.
AMREF has been working in Kechene area of Gulele Sub-City since 2008. The clean water projects constructed by AMREF include satiation kiosks, water distribution outlets, latrines and water storage tankers. So far, the project has been able to develop 67 water kiosks, 12 shower facilities and 5 springs. 42 water storage tankers with a capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 litres are erected and connected to main line thus directly benefiting over 12,400 people (about 64 % of the set target). These facilities have been handed over to 52 training water and sanitation committees and 364 water and sanitation committee members and youth hygiene educators recruited from among the community members. The trainings covered water/sanitation facility management, financial management, operation and maintenance, personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, prevention of communicable diseases management and waste management.
AMREF is a transparent organisation distributing funds of up to $85 million per year.
