Thursday, October 3, 2013

Clean water begins the journey out of poverty in Burundi, Africa


Batwa children living in the villages of Matara and Bubanza in Burundi, East Africa, know the risks that come with drinking unsafe water.

The evidence is all around them; sick brothers and sisters, frail parents, and young friends that are no longer alive.

Yet despite all the suffering and death, children continue to drink unsafe water - they have no choice, nor do their parents for that matter. Safe water is not available in or near their villages.

As a result, children and their families drink water from wherever they can find it, including filthy tire ruts carved into the muddy dirt road that passes through their villages.

We’re helping the families of Matara and Bubanza construct a water system that will provide an abundance of clean water right in their villages.

Families in Matara have found a water spring 3kms up the mountain from their village. In Bubanza, families found a spring on a hilltop about 4kms away from their village.

The challenge, in both cases, is bringing the clean water to the villages. At the moment, the water is simply too far away and inaccessible.

We are helping the families of Matara and Bubanza, a water system that will bring clean water from the mountains right into their villages.

When completed, the two water systems will bring an abundance of clean, life-sustaining water to nearly 4,000 people.  The water will also be used to irrigate family vegetable gardens and fields, enabling families to grow enough food to ensure they never go hungry again. Excess harvest will be sold at the local market and will create a reliable source of income.
 
Batwa families are the poorest of the poor in Burundi, a country ranked among the ten poorest countries in the world. As indigenous people, they exist on the far margins of society.