In Ethiopia, only 28% of the population has access to sanitation, a statistic that has improved just 3% over the past 25 years. Lack of safe water and sanitation means that diarrheal disease is one of the leading causes of death in Ethiopia for children ages 5 and under, and one of the top five causes of death overall, placing alongside HIV/AIDS.
Not only is access to a safe water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, it’s one of the lowest in the world. Many women and children collect their water directly from ponds that are shared with animals, and they often have to travel for several hours while carrying heavy jugs in order to retrieve water.
We recently became aware of a need for access to clean water at the Tokuma School, a local school in Debre Zeyit attended by seven children in our sponsorship program. When this need was brought to our attention, we installed a 2,000-liter water tank at the school. We are here to help all children in need and feel blessed to share this precious resource with our sponsored children as well as their classmates at the Tokuma School.
Blessing the Children International 