In a small village in Bensa region, Ethiopia, 37-year-old farmer Debela is very familiar with the heavy burden of unsafe water. For years, his family walked an hour each day to fetch water from an unprotected local spring contaminated by dirt and animals. Every sip of water carried the risk of disease.
“We tried filtering the water through cloth,” Debela recalls, “but it was never enough. My children were always sick with diarrhea and typhoid, missing school for days. Most of our income went toward medicine.”
The toll was especially hard on his wife’s health. She was constantly sick, withdrawn from their community, from their church, and spending days in the hospital. He recalled that she became reclusive and shut down, which affected her mental and emotional health. They spent all their extra income trying to restore her health and care for their family.
Everything changed when Water for Good’s Vision of a Healthy Village reached their household. Through training, families learned about safe water, latrines, handwashing, and clean compounds.
“Before, open defecation was normal,” Debela explains. “Now, we understand its dangers and have our own latrines.”
A drilled well with a hand pump was installed just steps from Debela’s home, a vital resource open to the entire community. The water source is now fenced, regularly cleaned, and maintained by a local water committee, ensuring quick repairs if needed and sustainable access for the future.
“Now, fetching water takes minutes, not hours,” Debela says with relief. “Our children go to school on time, and our family stays healthy.”
The impact of Vision of a Healthy Village on this community is far-reaching:
- Water collection time: reduced from 1 hour to under 5 minutes
- Diarrheal diseases: reduced by 90%
- Families save nearly 60% of what they once spent on medical care
- Children gained an estimated 120 extra school days per year
- All 28 households now have safe latrines, handwashing stations, and bathing shelters
- Families are healthy and can attend church regularly
Today, Debela’s pride is unmistakable. “We have knowledge, good toilets, no diseases, and we take good care of ourselves. Having good health is truly priceless.”
This story is not just about one family; it’s about an entire community rising from sickness and hardship to health, dignity, and hope. Thanks to your support, Water for Good’s Vision of a Healthy Village model is proving that safe water, sanitation, and hygiene deliver measurable, life-changing results—one family, one water point, and one village at a time.
