Women in remote villages of Ethiopia must make tough decisions on a daily basis in regard to the health of their families. Should they fetch nearby rain water that is in puddles and often times contaminated, making their children ill; or do they walk miles to a community water source where they're not guaranteed to receive water that is any cleaner?
These are tough questions for many Ethiopians, where three quarters of the population don't have access to clean drinking water. Water is a resource that is essential to daily life. From consumption, to cooking and bathing, water is used to some capacity each day by individuals all across the world. Yet some places, like Ethiopia, lack the water resources that developed countries like the United States possess.
However, in the remote Ethiopian village of Falka, a non-government group called Water Action has set up shop. The group dug a well some 1,000 feet deep where water is pumped to the surface for use. It's a public well, but residents must pay about 50 cents a week to maintain it. The aid group teaches residents about the well so that if a problem may arise they know how to immediately fix it.
This video is the first in a series of reports from NewsHour correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro, on water issues around the world.
Quotes
"We usually go to the town to get water, but, even there, we always have to fight for a place in line. If you're not from that area, you don't get first preference." -Keria Salo, a resident of a remote Ethiopian village
"Perhaps three quarters of Ethiopia's population do not have easy access to clean drinking water." -Fred de Sam Lazaro
"Our kids used to suffer from diarrhea, stomach aches, typhoid. It was also difficult for us to keep clean because we couldn't get water and we couldn't afford it." -Abarrash Munati, committee member that manages a village well
Warm Up Questions
1. Why is water a critical resource?
2. What countries tend to have more access to clean water? Which do not?
3. Where is Ethiopia?
Discussion Questions
1. According to the video, what problems tend to arise when villages don't have access to clean water?
2. Name three ways in which you use water on a daily basis.
3. How might your life be affected if you woke up tomorrow morning and had little or no access to water?
Additional Resources
Clean Water's Ripple Effects in Other Lands
Spotz Rows Into History, Raises Thousands for Clean Water Project
