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Wuha alleh [ውሃ አለ]

Why we're building water stations in Ethiopian schools

By Link Ethiopia

February 13^th, 2015

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A gaggle of curious children followed us around Woreda Elementary

The dry water station at Woreta Elementary

This plant obviously has roots long enough to find the water

woreta elementary school

There is no running water. It is not a rural school; instead it is in the small town of Woreta, close to the smooth tarmacked road which runs between Gondar and Bahir Dar. Tourists zoom along this road but few will stop in Woreta. The 3,000 students at one time shared eight taps at two separate water stations but poor maintenance has meant that they have all run dry. No running water means nothing to drink, nowhere to wash your hands after going to the toilet and no way to water plants which could provide vital income for the school.

Ethiopia is in the middle of the dusty dry season.

dudmegn elementary school, woreta

A couple of kilometres down the road by bajaj is another elementary school serving the same community. Last year a new water station was opened here. The project was funded by Mandala Trust (www.mandalatrust.org) and implemented by Link Ethiopia. We were pleased to find when we visited that all the taps were still working and providing clean drinking water for the school’s 2,000 students. They are even using the water for their mango trees, the fruit of which will provide income for the school which they plan to use to support vulnerable children in their community. You can instantly see the difference Wuha (water) makes. This is why we’re building water stations in schools across Ethiopia.

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Mango trees flourishing at Dudmegn Elementary

Children taking a drink at the new water station

Footnotes

These photos were taken on a day visit to Woreta in northern Ethiopia. We travelled together with Zemene our project manager by public bus.

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FootNotes

These photos were taken on a day visit to Woreta in northern Ethiopia. We travelled together with Zemene our project manager by public bus.

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