Clean Water = Healthy Families

Update on Wissisa Water Line Project!

Lata is standing with handmade pottery created by her and other skilled artisans in her community. [image description: an Ethiopian woman is standing next to rows of shiny black pottery]

We met Lata, a mother and skilled potter living in the village of Badoye, while visiting a water point near her village. Before the water point installation near her home, Lata had to walk a mile to the Seno river every day to fetch water for her family– water which was neither clean nor safe for drinking. Fetching water for her family was time-consuming, walking the long distance late at night after a long day of caring for her children and working on her pottery business.

“My children were often sick due to waterborne illnesses. We always had medical bills– it was very difficult for my family. I never had enough water for my family or for my pottery business. Every day was a struggle for me and my family.”

“This water point has brought peace and stability to our lives.” Lata is filling her jug with clean water at her community water point. [image description: an Ethiopian woman is holding a yellow jerry can next to a water point]

Now, with a water point steps from her home, Lata’s family has access to clean water—water for drinking, cooking, better hygiene, and her pottery business. Her children's health has stabilized, and she no longer worries about their health due to waterborne diseases. She no longer has to spend hours fetching water that once sickened her children, giving her more time to care for them and work on her pottery business.

Clean water access has profoundly impacted Lata and her community, improving their health, reducing medical costs, and allowing them to focus on their pottery business without the burden of water scarcity. Our clean water projects are essential to bringing safe, reliable water to families, ensuring better health, dignity, and opportunity for entire communities. Construction on our Wississa water project is ongoing, reaching even more families in Central Ethiopia. The Wissisa water project is now providing clean water to over 1,000 families.