Progress in Abaya

Clean water is life.  What we take for granted in much of America, is unfortunately a luxury in much of the developing world.  My (Jeff) third visit to World Vision’s Abaya Area Development Project (ADP) was a poignant reminder that the work being done here, especially to provide clean water to surrounding villages, is vital work.  With our trusted friend Tamaru, we spent two extraordinary days touring the ADP and seeing the progress which has been made since a team from Faith Presbyterian last visited in 2016. 

A highlight of the tour was a visit to a solar-powered water project.  Far into a remote part of the region we came upon an entire field of solar panels which powers a nearby deep well.  The solar energy, a rich commodity in sunny Ethiopia, ensures that the well will keep operating even during power outages, which are frequent in this part of the world.  Before this construction, the people of this particular remote village faced a two-hour walk to fetch water which was polluted by animals and unhealthy to drink.  Now this well feeds 5 separate water points (i.e. stations) which supply clean water every day to approximately 5,000 people.  The whole water project is overseen by a Water Committee made up of seven elected members of the community, elected because of their respected and trusted status in the community.  This committee, like all similar Water Committees, is made up of 4 women and 3 men (see photo).  The female majority is important because the women, having borne the previous burden of fetching the daily water, are most invested in the continued success of the project.

 

A recent development in the Abaya ADP is the installation of water taps at individual homes.  Any family willing to pay a minimal fee to the government, can request for an individual water line to run to their property so that they can access clean water right outside their home.We visited the home of a 50-year-old woman named Gifti Dadhakabo (see photo) and she demonstrated how her water tap now provides all the water her family of 12 people needs to drink, bathe, cook and do laundry.  It was clear that this development has made a world of difference for this family and many others like them.  Overall, clean water coverage in the Abaya ADP has been raised from 31% in 2009 to 62% today. 

Another highlight of our Abaya visit was the opportunity to visit the homes of our two sponsored children Daniel and Salamawheet.  We also visited with Bekasu, the sponsored child of Esther’s parents.  With the support of World Vision, both these children and their families are doing well.  The kids are in school and the families are safe and living with enough provision.  It is always a surreal experience to travel half-way around the world, drive miles into the Ethiopian bush, hike another few kilometers to a small hut never before visited by Westerners, and see a young boy emerge holding the picture of our family which we sent some years before. 

Finally, we were overwhelmed by the hospitality of Tamarat, the ADP director, and his marvelous staff.  We were humbled by a presentation they made to all of us of traditional Ethiopian clothing.  These men and women, true servants of Christ, are working tirelessly for the sake of the people of this community.  They were very eager to show us the work that God has done through them.  We all took great joy in the privilege it has been for us and our congregation back home to partner in this life-saving work.  As we left our visit, our hearts could not have been more full of gratitude.