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.
