The Bachoo District is a bumpy, dusty drive about 100kms south of Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa. Over three quarters of the people living in this region don't have access to safe drinking water - their only water sources are often-contaminated rivers and seasonal streams.

As in many parts of eastern Africa, including Ethiopia, recent drought is making life for Bachoo's rural communities even more difficult. The rains were late coming to the area again this year and the polluted rivers and seasonal streams are running dry - forcing people to walk even further to find water. Where most people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, farmers are struggling more than ever to make a living off the arid land as crops are simply not growing.

Most women in Bachoo spend up to three hours each day collecting water from the limited sources in the area, taking precious time away from raising children, tending to their small subsistence farms and engaging in other empowering activities. Children also have to rely on dirty water sources, often walking long distances in search of water during school hours or going all day without.

This is all changing!

In 2009, WaterCan and our African Partner, OSRA, initiative a new three-year project in Bachoo District to provide over 4,200 people with access to clean drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene education. Through these Gifts for Water Campaign we hope you will join us in raising enough funds to construct two ~60 metre deep borehole wells in remote Bachoo communities. Laundry basins and showers will also be built so people no longer have to wash their clothes in dirty water and can bathe in a private and dignified way. Hygiene education and training of local residents in operation and maintenance will also be provided to ensure project sustainability.

Entire generations will thrive thanks to the availability of clean water and sanitation. With the help of this WaterCan-funded project, water will spring from the ground even during times of drought, thanks to a stable underground water supply in the area. These wells will provide water for years to come.