Zerihun Hailu, Technical Advisor for Ethiopia of Lifewater Int.
From our baseline data we found that more than 78% of the children suffered from a condition of dysentery that was life threatening. The people of my region, Oromiya, walk several miles to collect water from ponds and rivers. Some villages are very arid and during the dry season the inhabitants depend only on the dirty water that stagnates in the puddles.
Furthermore, most people are illiterate and have never had the opportunity to learn the use of adequate sanitation. Because they don't know ... they let the animals stay in the same pool where they drink, wash and wash their clothes.