Water and sanitation project in Kechene slum, Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 170th out of 177 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index. While images of rural poverty in the country are common, little attention is paid to the increasing number of people who live in urban slums.
Kechene district in Addis Ababa is home to nearly 50,000 people and has high levels of poverty, poor housing, and illiteracy. Sanitation is a particular problem as only 15% of residents have access to clean drinking water. This lack of sanitation leads to the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and childhood diarrhea – one of the leading causes of death in children. These conditions are easily preventable with good sanitation and consistent access to healthy drinking water.
Main objectives of the project
- Construct new water sources to provide clean water for 35,000 people
- Train residents to manage and maintain their water sources, and help them plan for the long term
- Promote sanitation and provide toilets and shower kiosks for public use
- Educate the community, young children in particular, about protecting themselves from water-borne diseases
Key achievements
- We have enabled the government and voluntary community-based organizations to sustain water and sanitation activities in Kechene.
- Community members have been trained on how to maintain the systems and how to teach and promote better personal and community hygiene.
- 30,000 residents of Kechene have benifited from increased access to water and sanitation services.
- The community's knowledge of hygiene and sanitation practices has improved.
- Nineteen water and sanitation kiosks have been built with 19 committees established to oversee them.
- Each kiosk includes 5-6 toilet rooms, 2-3 shower rooms, 2-3 water taps, and a 5,000 liter water storage tank.
Read an article from Water Canada about AMREF's work in Kechene.
Watch a video that showcases some of our other work in Kechene.
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