.
The
Watered Down Truth: Africare tells
all on World Water Day Washington, DC.> One day a year,
advocates from every corner of the globe
unite to remind the world just how
important clean water is for human
survival. Next to food and shelter,
water is considered one of the essential
elements of life. And while every
person needs it, just over 60 % of the
world has access to it on a daily and
consistent basis. Leaving the
consequences of water-born diseases like
cholera, as well as poor sanitation on the
shoulders of more than 2.9 billion
people&emdash;300 million of which are
concentrated in Africa. Africare joins the ranks of several
leading non-profits and NGOs around the
world investing their resources into
combating Africa's limited access to clean
water-- and yet, this remains a little
known fact. "The United Nations declares that
access to clean water is not only a basic
need, it's a fundamental right for all
human beings," reminds Africare President
Julius E. Coles. "Our work at
Africare aims to restore this
right&emdash;this chance to live a healthy
and productive life&emdash;both directly
and indirectly through our
development programs on the
continent." Water and sanitation ranked among the
top priorities of Africare's programs
implemented during the organization's
earliest work in response to the great
Sahelian drought of the early 1970s.
Those efforts continued into the
1980s and throughout the 1990s, where Africare was one of the leading water
and sanitation NGO's in Southern Africa--
reaching out through programs in food
security, child survival and health.
At the turn of the new millennium,
Africare's presence remained strong, but
less knowingly so. Community-based
water and sanitation activities imbedded
within agricultural and health based
programs failed to communicate Africare's
leading work in water development.
"Managing a project like a refugee
camp, for instance, involves many
different components," comments
Francophone West/Central Program Manager,
Malaika Jeter. "In addition to
distributing food or building temporary
housing units, there are infrastructures
that need development and basic services
and training that must be delivered.
Water is an essential part of this
management. At Gaga Camp in Eastern
Chad [aiding Sudanese refugees from
conflict in Darfur], Africare is
charged with the management of day-to-day
water/sanitation activities&emdash; not
only the construction of wells, but also
water treatment, sanitation and hygiene
training, and maintenance duties.
That's simply not the first thought
that enters the minds of many individuals
who learn we are operating a refugee
camp." Between 2005-2006, Africare implemented
nearly 50 projects dedicated to the
development and maintenance of water
distribution systems and sanitation-- of
which only 10 were solely dedicated to
improving water-access. The rest
operated as components of larger projects
designed to address needs in health,
agriculture, and emergency assistance. "All these efforts are interdependent,"
notes Africare President Julius E. Coles.
"In order to implement a successful
garden, you need access to water. In
order to diminish the number of orphans
dying from diarrheal diseases, you need
clean water." Africare development programs will
continue to incorporate this precious
element into its projects in the coming
years. Several projects funded by
the African Well Fund broke ground in
February 2007. The Ntungamo Well
Construction Project in Uganda will serve
6,000 community members in the Ntungamo
District, and Sierra Leone's Nyema Water
Gravity Rehabilitation project and will
serve just half that amount in the
Kailahun District. Both projects
will extend into 2008. To learn more about Africare's clean
water initiatives and how you can help,
contact: Nicole Eley, Media Relations Manager
neley@africare.org A Leader in development and relief aid
to Africa 202.328.5362 (o) 202.640.9334 (c) Farmers
in Mali celebrate biodiversity with a seed
fair This past November, USC's country
office in Mali &endash; USC Afrique de
l'Ouest &endash; organized a seed caravan
and seed fair. About 130 farmers from 68
villages around Mopti and Douentza in
central Mali joined a five-day caravan to
travel about 200km to a seed fair in the
village of Douentza. They exhibited a
range of cultivated and uncultivated plant
samples at the fair. The fair gave Malian
farmers and USC a chance to celebrate
farmers' ingenuity and the crop diversity
fundamental to a stable food supply
system.
MALI SEED CARAVAN
USC
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