Water Line Ethiopia, Wasserà, 2017

This 2017 Christmas project led to the installation and completion of the Wassarà water line that brings drinking water from the well to the reserve tank, distribution points and the Mission. Near the Mission of Wassarà there is a small surface spring, a reservoir that collects infiltration water during heavy rains. During the dry season it decreases in quantity, making it necessary to ration it because it is insufficient for the needs of the population and for the activities. There are no other springs around the Mission and the more distant ones are very small. Wassarà is located on the top of a hill and therefore in order to find water it was necessary to go down to a depth of over 240 meters. In addition, a collection tank was built near the well at the highest point of the area so that the water line can use gravity to reach the distribution point for people and the Mission. This water network also serves the kindergarten which hosts 384 children every day and the elementary school with 600 students. Wassarà is a village in the municipality of Utuge in the district of Doyoganna, located 265 km from the capital Addis Ababa, in the large Ethiopian plateau which extends southwards at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level. It is one of the most populated areas of Ethiopia. Each family has 6/7 members and family income is among the lowest in the country. Most of the houses are huts built with wood and mud covered with straw or metal sheets. Each family owns little land and survival is linked to agriculture and seasonal variations. In Wassarà, the health service has grown more and more thanks to the expansion of the Health Center and the construction of the hospital ward financed by the Del Conca Group in 2010. The most frequent diseases affecting the local people: diseases of the respiratory tract gastroenteritis, intestinal parasitosis, typhoid and paratyphoid, tuberculosis, malaria, trachoma, dermatitis. One of the main causes of these diseases is the lack of clean and drinking water. The project was completed in collaboration with the Association “Carità senza Confini” (“Charity without Boundaries”) and financed with resources originally budgeted for purchasing Christmas Presents for Del Conca Group employees.