AFD is funding water and sanitation projects in Ethiopia
In the mountains of southern Ethiopia, 2,000 meters above sea level, the town of Sodo is a bustling hub. There is a whole series of small trade stalls, next to packed cafés. Yet until recently, most of the 200,000 inhabitants of this secondary town had no access to drinking water.
Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa, but it has the lowest figure in the region for drinking-water access (52%) and is one of 45 countries in the world where less than 50% of the population have access to sanitation.
That’s why AFD is funding two projects that align with the government’s priorities: one to provide greater access to water in five small and medium-sized Ethiopian towns (including Sodo); the other to improve access to water and sanitation in 22 secondary towns, co-financed with the World Bank.
esh Bergene smiles as she tells us how much her daily life has changed since having drinking water connected: “Before, we had to walk four or five kilometers every day to collect drinking water from the nearest source,” she says. “It would take us an hour to get there and an hour to walk back. And generally it’s us women who do the fetching!”
“We didn’t have access to water all the time. Sometimes the supply would be cut off for days, and we had to source water from private vendors,” says Debretu Wagauehu, a mother and café manager who has saved money since the water faucets were installed on her premises.
“However, a jerry can of water costs a lot more. We need water for everything: cooking, making coffee, water to drink... We’re so relieved that we can access it now!”
Beyond the benefits of providing access to water, installing the connections has also created many jobs all along the production chain, at a time when 19% of young people are unemployed.
It is with great pride that 30-year-old Tegegn Ashenafin demonstrates water quality testing for us. Levels of chlorine, pH, turbidity – everything is covered. “I always wanted to work in industry”, he tells us. “So I studied industrial chemistry, and I’ve been working as a laboratory technician for three years. I’m proud to be doing this job, and working to serve the community!”
