Clean Water Capacity Building and Community Health in Bonke

The project's goal is to improve the general health of the populations of the Bonke district through sustainable supply of potable water. It also aims to create effective local organizations able to sustain and manage local water systems and to provide improved health and environmental sustainability through community education. The project is implemented in an area where only 14 percent of the population have access to potable water. HOPE International Development Agency and its local partner HOPE Ethiopia utilize and protect six naturally occurring springs and provide a gravity-fed system which provides clean water to ten villages. Basic education on environmental issues environmentally friendly management practices and the establishment of a tree nursery to promote tree-planting and improved watersheds contribute to the project's environmental sustainability. The project also promotes gender equality as a major theme throughout the activities. All project activities are undertaken in compliance with environmental protection regulations and guidelines stipulated by the Government of Ethiopia and regional and local Woreda (district) and Water Bureau authorities. This project is part of a larger program led by HOPE aiming to provide potable water to rural Ethiopia. It is expected that HOPE Ethiopia provides support to the target communities for at least five years after CIDA's support for the project is completed.