Water. The most fundamental building block of life. Most of us are fortunate to be living in a place where water is literally at our fingertips.
But for the people living in the rural areas of Amhara, having enough water for their families, their animals and their crops is a daily struggle.
Many people in the developed world imagine Ethiopia as an arid wasteland, with no water to be found. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, Ethiopia is known as the “water tower of Africa” because it’s situated within the basins of three major rivers, including the Blue Nile. It’s also home to Lake Tana, one of the largest lakes in Africa. And nearly 500 perennial rivers flow through it, making the ground rich with subterranean springs.
For the people of Amhara to benefit from the country’s abundant water, they need a well-managed infrastructure so the water can be directed to where it’s needed most—to rural areas suffering from a lack of water for irrigation. And to villages where there is no safe water for consumption.
At ORDA, we’ve made it our mission—in partnership with the communities we help—to provide that infrastructure.
Our strategy is twofold: developing safe water for consumption and water for irrigation.