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HOPE International Development Agency is saving lives by providing the world's poorest families with access to sustainable sources of clean drinking water. 

Clean water is needed to save 200,000 people in Bonke, Ethiopia

People in southern Ethiopia’s Bonke Woreda are drinking themselves to death with water teeming with deadly parasites and bacteria.

The water that families drink, cook with and wash in comes from the same ponds and parched streambeds frequented by cattle, goats and hoards of insects.

Families have no choice but to drink whatever water they can find, wherever they can find it. There is no other alternative other than a slow and painful death by dehydration.

Mothers, with children as young as six in tow, trek up to 6 kilometers across winding, rock-strewn trails and treacherous mountain paths in search of water every day. The return trip is even more arduous due to the 20kg container of water strapped to their backs.

Right now, there are more than 22,000 people in Bonke Woreda without access to clean water. We identified enough underground springs in the area to bring abundant and sustainable supplies of clean water to men, women and children - right in their villages.

What your gift will do...

Your gift of $100 will enable our Ethiopian field staff and local villagers to begin carefully excavating springheads, constructing water containment boxes on top of the springs (to protect them from contamination), and install piping to bring the water to distribution points. As a result, villagers will be able to collect clean water... with the turn of a tap... just minutes from their doors!

Your gift will also provide...

In addition to providing a life-long supply of clean water, your gift today will also establish and train committees responsible for maintaining and managing the water systems, promote improved personal hygiene, health, and sanitation practices, and protect the local environment by establishing a tree nursery that will grow saplings for use in reforestation throughout the area.

Donate to help provide clean water for the people of Bonke, Ethiopia.

Clean Water & Sanitation

More than two million deaths occur annually from waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery the majority of which are children under the age of six.

Children living in the developing world are 520 times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases than children living in North America. Sadly, these deaths are preventable. Clean water from wells and capped water sources can prevent much of the suffering that results from the use of contaminated water.

The problems associated with contaminated water are made worse by a lack of adequate sanitation facilities. One third of the world’s population lacks access to basic sanitation facilities, and in the developing world there is insufficient knowledge regarding proper hygienic practices and the sanitary disposal of excrement. By improving hygiene and waste disposal practices, personal health can be dramatically improved.

There is more than enough water in our world for domestic, agricultural and industrial needs.

The pressing issue is not a lack of water, but the poor’s lack of access to clean water. The poor are often denied access to water due to a lack of economic resources, limited legal rights or by destructive public policies.

While potable water is important to all people, improved access to an uncontaminated water supply is particularly beneficial to women. In many developing nations, women are responsible for the collection of water for domestic use. Young girls are often taken out of school to help with this chore, which requires hours of walking to and from a water source many kilometres away. As a result, their education and the promise of a better life suffer greatly.

By providing access to uncontaminated water alongside health and sanitation education, HOPE encourages practices that positively affect family health.

Women are taught about family planning and other health and life strategies which empower women. Moreover, women with access to clean water are less likely to contract water-related illnesses and will spend less time caring for sick family members.

Every person deserves the opportunity to enjoy a life free from easily preventable diseases, and access to an uncontaminated water supply affords them this opportunity. Access to uncontaminated water acts a catalyst for both HOPE’s development work and HOPE’s goal of supporting people’s desire to be free from a life of chronic poverty.

Clean water is a cornerstone of all of HOPE’s overseas project activities. Where there is no water, HOPE helps people find water.

Where there is contaminated water, HOPE helps the people find ways to protect the water source and ensure the availability of clean water for years to come.

With clean water, communities can prosper. With access to clean water, the overall health of a population improves; farmers can better cultivate their land, children are more likely to attend school, and women spend more time on activities other than retrieving water. The culturally sensitive hygiene education that is offered ultimately helps in disease prevention and enhances the benefits of having access to potable water.

Save lives by supporting our clean water and sanitation efforts in Africa, Asia, and Central America.