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Water and sanitation in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's major health problem is the spread of disease caused by poor water and sanitation. These issues are exacerbated by the shortage of medical staff and health facilities. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) has launched a new programme to improve health and sanitation for 130,000 people.Children collecting water from river
Only 24 per cent of the general population has access to safe water and that percentage drops to 13 per cent in rural areas.* This has a major impact on the health of communities, with over 47 million people lacking access to safe water and adequate sanitation. The results are shocking – annually, 230,000 children die from diarrhoea or diarrhoea associated illnesses in Ethiopia.

The ECRS water and sanitation programme, funded by the British Red Cross, will run from 2009-2011 and take place in three areas with some of the most vulnerable communities:

  • Tigray regional state
  • West Gojam zone
  • Arsi zone

Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of these areas, there are no other organisations providing water and sanitation support.

Building on experience

From 2002-2008, the British Red Cross supported an ECRS water and sanitation programme in Oromiya region, which has now been successfully handed over to the communities.Man drinking water from tap

Building on the experience gained in Oromiya, the water and sanitation programme will work with communities to:

  • improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities
  • enhance knowledge on prevention of waterborne and hygiene-related diseases
  • improve health and resilience to common illnesses.

As well as building wells and latrines, this will involve increasing community awareness on links between lack of proper hygiene and sanitation to prevalence of preventable diseases.

Volunteers will be trained in community-based health and first aid and will work with their communities to identify and reduce major health problems. This includes injuries and accidents, infectious diseases – such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, HIV and AIDS – malnutrition, and personal and environmental hygiene.

Working with the community

Working closely with communities is essential to the success of the programme. This means taking sufficient time to talk about the needs and the best approach to take before final decisions are made on location and type of water facilities that are required.Woman carrying child on her back

It is important that the community has a sense of ownership of the project and it will need to provide some materials and labour for construction of wells and latrines.

Water committees will be set up, with community members being trained in the technical aspects of maintaining the facilities. In the process the knowledge and techniques of the local population will be consulted and used. A community fund will also be established to ensure repairs can be paid for.

* World Bank report 2000

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