Internships

Fatu S. Conteh ’10

Jorit, a semi-desert village of about 1000 people, is located in Northeast Ethiopia, 325 km from the capital (20 km from Kemissie). Residents live in mud and thatch hut, sharing space with their livestock. The average family size is eight, and the livelihoods of the people depend on subsistence agriculture and livestock raising. Due to small land holdings — 3 acre per family — and a primitive farming system that is rainfall dependent, famine, malnutrition and poverty are rife in Jorit. The village lacks basic infrastructures and services such as water, electric supply, a primary school and a health post. In fact poor sanitation is the major cause of health problems in the village. There is almost no culture of bathing in this community because of the unavailability of water. We built three hand dug wells with hand pumps in Jorit and two wells are currently being built in a different community nearby. Our project would not have been successful if it was not for the people of Jorit who dug wells, the local Water Management Bureau in Kemissie, and the Davis Peace Project which funded our project with the Global Challenges. We are very grateful for all people who made this project possible.