In broad zones of the earth water is an essential but scarce commodity. Particularly the people in poor countries, for example Ethiopia, frequently do not have adequate access to water. Even more seldom is hygienic, clean drinking water. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that only 60% of the world’s population has a permanent supply of water.

Most of us take water for granted as a commodity that is in plentiful supply and available cheaply at all times and in high quality. The daily water consumption of an adult in Europe is about 145 litres per day, of which only about three litres is drunk or used for cooking. The considerable remainder of 142 litres of drinking water is thoughtlessly flushed through the toilet (approx. 46 l), or used for personal hygiene (approx. 53 l), household tasks, the car and the garden.

In Ethiopia 82% of the population has no access to clean drinking water. The situation in the country areas is particularly dramatic. To reach a watering place, women and girls often have to walk for hours in the searing heat. Under the weight of the filled clay jugs, the return journey from the watering place is even more arduous. Despite the long distances they usually find only contaminated water. This triggers off many infectious diseases which take a heavy toll on human life, mainly children. Even in the capital Addis Ababa only a quarter of the population have the benefit of hygienic, piped drinking water.

To give as many people as possible access to clean water, Menschen für Menschen has drilled wells, tapped springs, constructed water reservoirs, irrigation ponds and irrigation systems for agriculture in all project regions, enabling two to three harvests per year. Even a single watering place improves the lives of hundreds.