Letter from Turkana: Celebrating Water

Lourdes Larruy from the Missionary Community of St Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) in northwest Kenya writes:

The people in Gore Ketema, Ethiopia, wanted to celebrate the first anniversary of the well drilling in their village on 15 October. We got the message that they wanted to celebrate the 'water day'.

Gore Ketema is a small village seven km away from Muketuri, of which three are by a rocky road and impassable in the rainy season. In 2015, two representatives of the Gore Ketema community approached the San José Mother and Child Center to explain their water scarcity situation and request help.

After several visits to the place, we could see how people had to walk several kilometres to reach a stream of brownish water, which was the only available source of water supply.

In 2016, the first well for this community was dug by hand, finding water at 16 meters, installing a rope pump; Then two more followed, but in several places it became impossible to dig due to the existence of a rock plate more than four meters thick.

In 2017, the procedures to drill were done: the studies said that the water should be between 40 and 50 meters deep. On October 14, 2017, before the expectation of the people of the town, came the drilling machines. Women quickly organised themselves to permanently have food and coffee for the workers in charge of the drilling. Men and children helped however they could.

On October 15, after 48 meters, a jet of water came out, to the amazement of all ... a flow of two litres of water per second! More than 7,000 litres an hour!

For the celebration they killed a lamb to eat and prepared the traditional coffee ceremony, with songs and dances. Among the words of thanks, one of the elders said: "Now we are human beings, because until now we drank water from the same place as the animals, now finally, we can collect clean water to live." It was a powerful statement about the right to clean water, which so many people in Ethiopia lack.

Among the words of thanks, one of the elders said: "Now we are human beings, because until now we drank water from the same place as the animals, now finally, we can collect clean water to live."

The MCSPA is funded from the UK by New Ways, a charity run entirely by volunteers. To make a donation see: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/newways

Read more about New Ways here: www.newways.org.uk/index.html