Since she was a young girl, Tenagne has walked up to six hours every day, carrying an achingly heavy water vessel on her back, to get water for her family’s daily needs. Like most of the women in her village, she didn’t attend school because her job of fetching water was considered more important.
In those days, the water Tenagne collected was far from safe and clean. In fact, until she was five years old, she had a one-in-five chance of dying from a waterborne disease such as diarrhea or cholera.
Then, ORDA intervened and, together with members of the community, constructed a
safe water point just outside Tenagne’s village.
After construction was complete, Tenagne was one of the villagers—and the only woman—selected to be a member of the water point committee, which oversees management of the water point and collaborates with the community to make decisions regarding its use and maintenance.
Today, Tenagne can easily get clean, safe water for cooking and drinking just by walking down the hill. And her children and the children of the village are healthy and free of the waterborne diseases that had been so prevalent in the past.
Just as importantly to Tenagne, because they no longer need to spend hours each day fetching water, her daughters are attending school and will have opportunities Tenagne could never have dreamt about.
“I had to stay home to fetch water every day, so I missed the chance to go to school.” Tenagne says. “But thanks to ORDA, I’m able to send my children, and I’m very proud of that.”