Successful Project Completion in Ethiopia

In rural Ethiopia, the WasserStiftung, together with our partner Vita, was able to make a significant contribution to water, health, and climate protection. As part of the project “Resource and Climate Protection and Sustainable Access to Clean Water in Rural Ethiopia,” a total of 200 water points were repaired in five districts of the South Gondar Zone between January 2024 and March 2026.

This benefits 68,410 people, who now have reliable access to clean water again. The time spent fetching water has been significantly reduced: instead of about 58 to 81 minutes per trip, the journey now takes an average of only about 22 minutes. As a result, women in particular have more time for education, household chores, and income-generating activities.

Significant progress has also been made in the area of hygiene. The proportion of households with handwashing facilities rose from 34 to 97 percent, while the proportion of households with cases of diarrhea in the project area fell from 32 to 1 percent. All water samples tested also met WHO drinking water standards.

Another important benefit: thanks to improved access to safe water, significantly less water needs to be boiled, which saves firewood and reduces pressure on local forests. The project is registered with Gold Standard as the “Vita’s Safe Water Project”; the first emission credits, which will be used to further finance the water infrastructure, are expected in the third quarter of 2026.