There is hope. Since this UNICEF-supported pump was installed in Sire Woreda, life has changed dramatically.
Children say that the water pump is everything to them, it’s like their “soul”. Before they were travelling three hours over terrain so rocky that even donkeys struggled to climb the hills. When they reached the river, it was dirty and a constant risk of disease.
Sadly the new pump came too late for Fatuma Abdullah's seven year old son, Anwar, who fell ill after drinking dirty water. His tummy pains were so bad that he asked his mother to tie his stomach to try and stop them. Fatuma says, “I think my child’s problem came from drinking dirty water from the river, and drinking the water that our cows drink."
While Fatuma's son is still sick, she says she doesn’t have to fear that her other children will fall ill anymore. Families are “joyful” about the pump and the children are now able to go to school.
UNICEF has already provided 300,000 people with access to safe water in 2016.
Malnutrition is soaring