Ethiopia ranks 175 out of 193 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. The Ethiopia water crisis has left over 57 million people in rural areas without access to clean water, and more than 31 million remain unreached by the gospel.
Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA BY THE NUMBERS
Water Crisis in Ethiopia
123
million
national population of Ethiopia
57
million
rural people lack access to clean water within a 30-minute collection trip
90
million
rural people lack access to adequate sanitation facilities
31
million
While Christianity is the largest religion at 59% of the population, there are more than 31 million people representing 34 people groups unreached by the gospel
Ethiopia
The Water Crisis in Ethiopia
Our program targets three districts located in southern Ethiopia. There the greatest challenges include:
Inadequate Access
Because the groundwater table is too deep for traditional hand pumps, there are fewer reliable sources of water, and women and children end up walking long distances to wait in line with others.
Collection Time
In the dry season, women and children can spend 4-6 a day collecting water.
Disease
Each year, more than 25,000 children under five in Ethiopia die due to diarrhea.4 Lack of clean drinking water leads to an increase in preventable diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, and other illnesses that can have serious health effects on children who lack access to medical care.
DO SOMETHING
Fund a Project in Ethiopia
Serve an entire community or school with clean and living water. Projects range in cost depending on the region, project type, and amount of people served.
OUR MISSION IN ETHIOPIA
Serving the Unreached
In Oromia and Central Ethiopia regions, the Christian Church is the extreme minority. Christians are often persecuted for their faith. Local churches are marginalized and often neglected by the wider community.
Our local partners invite pastors and churches to participate in providing clean water, meeting physical needs while addressing the Ethiopia water crisis. This helps them build credibility, trust, and meaningful relationships.
Our programs in Ethiopia provide evangelism training and resources to support local pastors as they plant home groups among the unreached.
CLEAN & LIVING WATER IN ETHIOPIA
Our Plan for the Water Crisis in Ethiopia
With your help, more than 200,000 rural people will be served with access to clean and living water in communities and schools in three districts by the end of 2028—a significant step toward addressing the Ethiopian water crisis. You can make it possible to see:
230
communities gain access to clean drinking water through hand pumps, mechanized boreholes, and piped water systems connected to community tap stands, including in schools
Local
communities trained to operate and maintain water points
500+
community leaders trained in hygiene and sanitation promotion
100
pastors, evangelists, and local believers mobilized to participate in WASH programs as an access point to share the gospel with unreached communities
SOURCES:
2 Definition: If the trip to collect from an improved water source takes 30 minutes or less, it is classified as a basic drinking water service. If water collection from an improved source exceeds 30 minutes it is categorized as a limited service.
Stories from Ethiopia
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