In the highlands of Ethiopia, the search for water didn’t just consume Sebete’s time—it left lasting scars.
As a 38-year-old mother of eight and guardian to a ninth orphaned child, Sebete is no stranger to sacrifice. Her days once began in darkness, clutching an empty jerrycan as she walked to a crowded spring shared with livestock. The water was murky and unsafe, but it was all she had. Despite the risks, she often waited up to three hours just to collect a few liters.
But the water itself wasn’t the only danger.
“One day, a man threw my container into the mud,” Sebete recalled. “He said women didn’t deserve to drink first—not even when I was seven months pregnant.” On another occasion, her daughter—who often helped gather water—returned home deeply shaken after being harassed. The water they struggled to collect frequently led to illness, including diarrhea and cholera, affecting the entire family.
The most heartbreaking moment came one rainy morning. Pregnant and alone while heading to fetch water, Sebete slipped and fell, and ended up losing the baby.
For Sebete, the search for water cost more than time and health—it cost her a child’s life. Each day remained a struggle for survival, with no glimpse of a different future.
But everything began to change in 2023.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, Water for Good installed a new water point just five minutes from Sebete’s home. For the first time in the village’s history, safe, clean water flowed freely—and life began to change. Sebete’s long, dangerous walk was over. So was her fear.
The addition of Water for Good’s hygiene and sanitation training brought even more transformation. Latrines were constructed. Handwashing became part of daily life. Illness declined. Now, all of Sebete’s children are in school. But, more importantly, they are healthy.
With water close by, Sebete gained something she hadn’t had: hope. She launched a small business, selling homemade and homegrown goods: butter, kocho bread, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes. “Now I earn my own income,” she says. “I can pay for my children’s school and buy what we need without asking anyone.”
And Sebete continues to pursue even bigger dreams.
“If I had a kocho processing machine,” she says, holding a small, wrapped sample, “I could sell to Addis Ababa. I want my children to become engineers or teachers. And I want to build something that lasts.”
Sebete’s life has been transformed by the generosity of Water for Good donors and staff—and she couldn’t be more grateful.
“You didn’t just bring water,” she says. “You brought time, health, and dignity. You helped build a better future.”
And that future is already taking shape—in the rhythm of daily life, in her children’s laughter, and in the quiet strength of a woman no longer weighed down by the fight for survival.
