by Emily Matos, charity:water

Below is the three month update for breaking ground in Uganda, Liberia, and Ethiopia with funding we raised through The Water=Hope Campaign on the Brad Paisley H2O world tour.

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Amount granted to charity: water

Country

$5,000

 UGANDA

Project Start date

Status

October, 2010

In Progress

           

 

Country Overview:

Uganda lies in Central West-Africa with Lake Victoria as its only water source. Uganda is a landlocked country surrounded by Kenya, Sudan, DRC, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

Northern Uganda, specifically, has suffered from a 20-year rebellion led by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The insurgency has displaced approximately 1.7 million people in the Acholi and Lango sub regions. There is now relative peace in the North as the LRA has abandoned its efforts in Uganda and has moved the conflict to the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic. As the threat of attacks on Ugandan citizens has diminished, many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have had the opportunity to return to their home communities to try to rebuild their lives.

Region Overview:

Water=Hope campaign funds will serve a community in the Lango Sub Region of Uganda. Through a comprehensive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program, our local partners aim to reach the communities in Northern Uganda that were displaced during the LRA insurgencies, specifically those in the Lango sub regions. These sub regions were devastated by the conflict and the many communities faced prolonged displacement. Those who are returning home to these communities face extremely impoverished conditions, including lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.

 

Amount granted to charity: water

Country

$5,000

 ETHIOPIA

Project Start date

Status

October, 2010

In Progress

Country Overview:

Ethiopia is one of the 11 poorest countries in the world. Landlocked in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia borders Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east, and Djibouti to the northeast. The country's economy revolves around agriculture, which in turn relies on rainfall that is inadequate, unpredictable and uneven in its distribution.

Ethiopia averages 40% clean water coverage across the country, with higher rates of clean water clustered in cities and larger towns. In rural parts of the country one in three people have access to clean water while only 13% have access to adequate sanitation services. At any given time it is estimated that half of the country's population of 80 million people is suffering from an unnecessary water-related disease, and more than 250,000 children under the age of five die each year from diarrhea.

Region Overview:

Water=Hope campaign funds will serve a community in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Tigray is the northernmost region of the country and is home to more than 4 million people and has less than 50% clean water coverage. While water availability varies greatly across the region, the majority of Tigrineans obtain their water from rivers, ponds, streams, and unprotected springs. They also have to share these water sources with livestock and wild animals, which results in a dirty, tainted water supply.

Amount granted to charity: water

Country

$5,000

 LIBERIA

Project Start date

Status

January, 2011

In Progress


Country Overview:
 
Liberia, located in West Africa, is rebuilding after a fourteen-year civil war (1989 – 2003) that destroyed what little infrastructure there was in the country. The conflict claimed the lives of approximately 150,000 civilians and internally displaced over 1 million people.

Post-war, the international community has rolled out a major humanitarian program to help stabilize the country and bring much needed emergency support to the population. Central to the long-term recovery plan is to provide essential facilities and restore basic social services in both urban and rural communities. Water points were among the many structures destroyed during the war and slow progress is being made yearly to rebuild access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation services. 80% of the population is still under employed and 76% is living below the poverty line on less then one US dollar/day.

Region Overview:

Water=Hope campaign funds will serve a community in Nimba County Liberia with clean and safe drinking water. Nimba County is in the North East of the country and has long borders with Ivory Coast and with Guinea's forest regions. Many communities in the Nimba County are remote, underserved, and have limited or no access to basic health, sanitation, clean water or other services.