Abebech Gobena School & Orphanage has been in operation for 29 years. The site is situated on a massive compound in the heart of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. The facility houses an orphanage, kindergarten and primary schools, vocational training for exploited children and women, and a maternal & child health hospital which additionally offers HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. Each day, the school provides for more than 600 children (in poverty) and the orphanage cares for nearly 300 children (who have been abandoned).
 
Prior to our partnership with Abebech Gobena, their sole source of drinking water was contaminated. The one area to access the water was additionally crowded, dirty and unsafe. Children would gather around a poorly constructed water station, during classroom breaks, just to gather water that was ultimately harming their health, adversely impacting their studies, and limiting their growth and opportunities.
 
The majority of children at the school come from stunningly poor families. Wages for most of these families average less than $100 per month. Throughout the city, clean water is expensive and is thus considered a luxury, even in this urban context.



Our Ethiopia staff needed to create all-new water lines to provide a sufficient volume of water to the site; construct an adequate area to access that water; and provide appropriate purification to ensure the water became free of any harmful bacteria. Now all of these children, staff, and their families, can freely drink and wash their hands in a secure area with a stable supply of clean water.
 
This is our simple story: We look for outstanding institutions serving kids, but who are held back by the lack of clean water. We develop a strong relationship, engage leaders fully in the process, then begin a ten year commitment to assure reliably safe water – all the while preparing the local site’s leadership for the eleventh year and beyond.

Please keep an eye on our work with Abebech Gobena on our ProvingIt website. (Abebech Gobena) There you will be able to view real-time updates from the field on progress that is being made.