On October 24, 2007 in Addis Ababa, five major organizations gathered together at Oromia Bureau of Water Resource to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement a five-year water and sanitation program worth € 3.5 million in Arsi-Negelle Woreda, Ethiopia. This program will help over 130,000 Ethiopians living without adequate water and sanitation facilities.
The European Commission has committed to fund 75 percent of the program, while Oromia National Regional State will fund the remaining 25 percent. The agreement commemorates the start of the program and specifies the roles of the four implementing partners, Oromia Bureau of Water Resource (BoWR), two international non-governmental organizations-- German Agro Action (GAA) and Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), as well as the local non-governmental organization Bole Bible Baptist Church (BBBC).
“The program is a great achievement. The contribution and participation from the Oromia government has shown dedication to help provide clean water to its people,” said Mr. Bernhard Meier zu Biesen, GAA’s Regional Director. “The project is a real present from the European Union and the government.”
The program addresses the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), set out by the United Nations, by concentrating on the unstable water and sanitation conditions in local communities like Woreda. The program involves constructing a comprehensive water supply network, largely sourced from boreholes. This will help to improve the daily issues community members face like walking long distances to get water and drinking potentially harmful water. “BBBC has worked in this program area for many years. It’s a harsh environment in which to raise a family because poverty is rampant, families don’t have access to proper water and sanitation facilities which has been an on-going problem. Without a program like this in place, people would continue to get sick and die from drinking contaminated water,” said Getachew Tadesse, BBBC Program Manager. “We are very happy that the pressing needs of the community can finally be addressed through this joint effort.”
This new plan will help to provide families with a better quality of life. The program, furthermore, will also embark on improving hygiene and sanitation practices in the communities –which have been a big problem and are linked to contracting deadly diseases and the increase in the number of deaths. Currently, latrine use is uncommon in these communities and more than half of all households in Woreda are anticipated to construct and use latrines towards the end of the program.
“The Arsi Negelle Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program greatly contributes to alleviating the serious problem of drinking water in the Woreda,” said Berhanu Ambaw, Acting Country Director for CCFC Ethiopia. “The MoU builds transparent partnership among the four organizations involved and ensures better service delivery to the final beneficiaries through leveraging resources, sharing experiences and ensuring sustainable management.”
During the MoU signing, Obbo Motuma Mekassa, Head of the Regional Bureau of Water Resource acknowledged all stakeholders for their initiative and urged other development partners to increase their inputs to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Obbo Motuma further noted that the bureau is willing to cooperate with all stakeholders who are committed to solving the problem of potable water in the Region. He reminded stakeholders to work together and implement the project on time.