Fatima Ali Abdul is 14 years old and dreams of being an engineer. Until a few years ago, she had a one in five chance of dying from a waterborne disease such as yellow fever, hepatitis or diarrhea.
That’s because only 35 percent of the people in Amhara, Ethiopia—where Fatima lives—have access to uncontaminated drinking water. The remaining 65 percent (about 13 million people) drink from and bathe in the same rivers and ponds where livestock foul the water with their wastes.
In 2003 ORDA intervened in Fatima’s village and constructed a safe water scheme that provided access to a nearby source of uncontaminated water. We also gave villagers sanitation and hygiene education and training to ensure the water will always remain safe until it’s consumed.
Due in large part to our intervention, Fatima and many of the girls in her village were able to attend school for the first time. Now they have dreams they never would have thought possible.
We hope you’ll take a few minutes to learn about our programs, and join us in helping the people of Amhara have the same opportunity as Fatima for a safe and healthy future.
Find out why “Ethiopians helping Ethiopians” is vital to our success.