Blog Post
Buckets of clean water!
HOPE-JP • August 29, 2017
Conversations on the importance of clean water always emphasizes the reduction of water related diseases. While of course true, clean water does more! Cool down and smile with some stories on how families are staying cool in Cambodia and Ethiopia this summer.
Pursat, Western Cambodia
Seasons in Cambodia, hot throughout the year, are divided into two: the rainy and dry. During the dry season, temperatures can rise to above 40 degrees celsius, and with little rain to bring relief, the lives of those living without reliable access to water are severely tested.
Here we share the experiences of two women who recently received HOPE wells.
Chiemun Sarun
When Chiemun didn’t have a well, she would carefully wrap her infant child and shoulder her, place a tank for water on her own head, and walk 1.5 km to go and fetch water. She would make this necessary journey every day, made more arduous in the dry season when she would have to navigate her way down a steep embankment to reach the shallow waters.
Now, she has a well, and she no longer has to labour for water. Smiling as she watches her young son cool himself with buckets of clean water in the summer, she moves forward safely from a more difficult past.
Hun Chantey
In the scorching hot dry seasons, to help cool her children down, Hun Chantey would take her children to the river to bathe. There they would bathe in the muddy river waters, but relief from the heat was short, as they would soon be covered in sweat in again on the long walk home.
But now, they have a well, and they can cool down in the vicinity of their own home. While the river water was muddy and luke warm from the sun, the well water is clean and cold, and being comfortable at home is a new luxury that they can now enjoy.
Tsayte, Southern Ethiopia
Tsyate is located high in the mountains at an elevation of 2000m. While the early mornings are almost chilly, as the sun rays grow stronger, the temperature increases sharply, leading to extremely hot days. Children walk 1 - 2 hours to Sharaga, where their school is located, every day. The summer heat can be unbearable for them, and by the time they reach school, they are hot and thirsty and struggle to concentrate in class.
Wondom Wogazo, the headmaster of the school, told us more about what was done to address this.
Wondom Wogazo - Headmaster of school in Sharaga
Until HOPE installed a water point at the school, the students used to go to a nearby river to cool down and find water to drink. As it was so hot, they would of course let the students go to the river, but this affected their studies, as they would inevitably end up playing by the river and in some cases just go home because it was too hot.
Having a water point on school grounds now has not only made it possible for students to safely drink water and cool down, but it also has greatly improved their ability to study. Teachers are now able to apply properly scheduled break times and water breaks without worrying about the health of their students, and students concentrate better. Furthermore, they now also have water to keep the school clean!
