| Code | Country | Town/Village | Inauguration | Depth | Serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad |
Ngonba-Massa |
07/2021 | 45m / 148ft | 1200 people |
Intel Seed Grant #1 Water Well
Recent
Zuhriddin & Nodira Water Well
A single drop makes a small, seemingly insignificant, impact. But when it hits the surface, tiny ripples form. Slowly, these ripples grow bigger and the whole surface begins to change. You can change lives with your donations.
Water Crisis in Africa: Why is There So Little Clean Water in Africa?
The current water crisis in Africa stems from lack of access to clean, sanitary water, particularly in the sub-Saharan region. Unfortunately, millions of people in Africa spend up to six hours every single day collecting unsafe water from lakes, rivers, and ponds, causing them to become infected with waterborne illnesses that either result in death or make them too sick to work or pursue an education. Even just spending all that time obtaining water exposes people to highly dangerous weather conditions and steals valuable time they could be using to work or pursue an education. This in turn leads to the extreme poverty that exists throughout Africa. So, what exactly is causing the water problem in Africa?
Factors Causing Water Issues in Africa
The physical lack of clean water in the natural environment. This affects countries in northern and southern Africa the most. For example, of the 980 large dams in sub-Saharan Africa, around 589 are located in South Africa. However, only two are located in Tanzania, a country of similar landmass and population, greatly impacting the country’s water scarcity.
The lack of economic means to provide access to clean water to Africa. In this situation, the country or region lacks the ability to invest or repair water infrastructure to provide sanitary water for the community, even in areas where freshwater is abundantly available. This is especially unfortunate in cities and regions where the population is growing; therefore, the demand for clean water keeps increasing.
Social relations between different groups of people. For example, some people struggle to access clean water in Africa because they have no or low income, live in a poor neighborhood, are refugees, women, or because the majority of the people in that community belong to a particular political party, etc.
Natural disasters such as floods and drought. Floods contaminate drinking water and destroy hygiene and wastewater systems, whereas droughts create food insecurity that leads to malnutrition and denies communities water supplies. Also, in sub-Saharan Africa, 66% of people—i.e., 300 million—live in areas with little to no rainfall, which greatly negatively impacts agriculture.
How Embrace Relief Combats the Water Issue in Africa
Fortunately, Africa houses a substantial amount of clean water underground, possibly 20 times more than the 8,000 miles of visible water in its lakes and ponds. And because the vast majority of problems regarding water pollution in Africa can be solved simply by providing access to clean, sanitary water, Embrace Relief has decided to both build and reconstruct currently non-operational water wells.
What We Have Accomplished
Since 2013, Embrace Relief has built 409 Africa water wells throughout sub-Saharan Africa, supplying clean water to 400,000 people on a daily basis. Plus, we monitor each well up to five years after construction to ensure they’re operating effectively. Our top three Clean Water Project locations so far are:
- Chad Clean Water
- Nigeria Clean Water
- Cameroon Clean Water
We plan on building and refurbishing hundreds more wells throughout the region, too. So, please consider donating today (or starting your own Water Well for Africa project) so thousands of vulnerable people in Africa not only survive, but thrive and lift their communities out of poverty. Together, we can drastically reduce water scarcity in Africa!
How to Get Clean Water to Africa to Save and Build Lives
Since 2015, Embrace Relief has been steadfastly supplying clean water to Africa, particularly the sub-Saharan region where millions of people collect unsafe water from lakes, rivers, and ponds every single day. This practice causes people to become infected with waterborne illnesses that often result in death or make them too sick to work or pursue an education. While the water crisis is pervasive in the continent, in the country of South Africa, about five million people lack access to clean water and about 15 million lack access to basic sanitation. This issue is so severe it’s even called The South Africa Water Crisis.
More Water in Africa Facts
In addition, many people in sub-Saharan Africa spend up to six hours a day obtaining this water, especially women and young girls. This not only forces them to face danger and extreme weather conditions, but also steals valuable time they could be using to work or pursue an education. This in turn leads to the extreme poverty that exists throughout Africa, but thankfully there are a number of ways to get clean water in Africa. For example:
- Rainwater Catchment Tanks—Effective in areas that receive adequate rainwater, these tanks are comprised of downspouts that carry rainwater from gutters to a water tank capable of holding up to 100,000 liters of water. This system is very easy to use and water collected can be used all throughout the year, including drier seasons.
- Protect Natural Springs—Natural springs can be easily contaminated so fashioning a spring box or house around them to keep out animals, leaves, and debris drastically reduces the likelihood of contamination. Spring water can then be piped to a holding tank. However, springs are open to groundwater runoff, which makes them easily contaminated, and they must be monitored and protected on a regular basis. Therefore, they aren’t the most effective way to reduce water pollution in Africa.
- Install Sand Dams—A reinforced cement wall built across a sand river, a sand dam helps block runoff water in the riverbed and stores clean water in the soil. A dam is capable of storing millions of liters of water and supplying clean water to hundreds of people, ultimately making it only semi-reliable at solving the water crisis in Africa.
- Rehabilitate Old Wells—There are countless wells in Africa that used to be effective, but have become no longer operational due to aging and use. Therefore, rehabilitating them so they’re functional again is a viable option of fixing water issues in Africa. Ways to rebuild wells include building a wall around the top with a reinforced concrete drainage apron that prevents surface water from running to the well. However, unfortunately, water wells require constant maintenance to ensure they remain effective.
- Build New Wells—Rather than rehabilitating old wells, building brand-new ones is also a viable option to bring clean water to Africa. Each well costs about $8,000 USD and can serve about 2,000 people. However, like reconstructing old wells, new ones need to be constantly maintained to ensure surface water doesn’t contaminate them, too.
How Embrace Relief Fights the Water Crisis in Africa
Because building and rehabilitating Africa water wells are among the most effective means of fixing water pollution in Africa, we’ve been focusing on those two endeavors. Since 2013, we’ve built 409 Africa water wells throughout sub-Saharan Africa, supplying clean water to 400,000 people on a daily basis. Plus, we monitor each well up to five years after construction to ensure they’re operating effectively. Our top three Clean Water Project locations so far are:
- Chad Clean Water
- Nigeria Clean Water
- Cameroon Clean Water
We plan on building and refurbishing hundreds more wells throughout the region, too. So, please consider donating today (or starting your own Water Well for Africa project) so thousands of vulnerable people in Africa not only survive, but thrive and lift their communities out of poverty. Together, we can drastically reduce water scarcity in Africa!
ROHINGYA REFUGEE CRISIS
WHAT IS THE ROHINGYA REFUGEE CRISIS?
There are nearly 1.1M stateless Rohingya refugees across 34 refugee camps in Bangladesh. The Rohingya refugee crisis is among the fastest-growing mass migration of people and is becoming one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. Many Rohingya refugees come from Myanmar where they endured what the United Nations describes as genocidal violence, discrimination, and human rights violations. In Myanmar, Rohingya communities are the targets of religion-focused, violent attacks which has caused an ongoing mass exodus.WHAT ARE THE LIVING CONDITIONS LIKE IN THE REFUGEE CAMPS?
The refugee camps are in locations that are prone to natural disasters such as flooding or landslides, which makes it difficult to build stable structures. Additionally, the camps are overcrowded, unsanitary, and severely under-resourced. These living conditions place extreme psychological distress on both adults and children, which can result in long-term anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The camps are in locations prone to severe natural disasters. In March 2021, a massive fire erupted in the world’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong, which holds over 880,000 people – half of whom are children. The fire tore through four of the 34 camps, incinerating over 10,000 shelters, food distribution sites, clean water, and sanitation facilities. Nature’s wrath didn’t stop there. In the same camp during the month of July, heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flash floods that tore through the camp which had grown to over 900,000 Rohingya refugees since March. Many children are still missing from being swept away by the floodwaters. According to the UN Refugee Agency, “Humanitarian partners estimate that up to 200,000 Rohingya refugees could be at risk during the monsoon season. Many live on rugged, undulating terrain prone to landslides and flooding and are in urgent need of relocation.” Children are especially vulnerable in the camps. There are many risks which include being separated from their family or caretakers, experiencing psychological distress, neglect, abuse, lack of access to a formal education, and malnutrition. Moreover, children are susceptible to exploitation such as child labor, marriage, and trafficking.HOW CAN I HELP ROHINGYA REFUGEES?
As Rohingya refugees continue to arrive in Bangladesh in search of a better life free of fear and persecution, we promise to be here along the way to ease their suffering as much as we can. With your support, we plan to expand our reach to help as many Rohingya refugees and extend a helping hand where it is needed most. Since the disasters, over 50,000 people have been displaced within the refugee camp and the lack of resources has only gotten worse. We are currently coordinating food distribution events to bring essential cooking items, nonperishables, and meat packages to the camps. Our future plans include:- Increase food distribution
- Construct sanitation facilities
- Providing access to formal education/vocational training programs
Cure Cataract Group Fundraising
We believe that it’s really important to help those who are incapable of affording a surgery that will significantly help them in their daily life. As a group we want to lessen the burden and want them to have a full and productive life, encouraging to keep their hopes and dreams.
Africa Cataract Surgery: The Impact of Mali’s Unique Geography
Cataract surgeries in Africa are becoming more and more necessary, particularly in Mali where millions of people are currently in need of it. Over the course of their lives, millions of Malians become prone to develop eye cataracts, a debilitating disease that is the leading cause of blindness in Africa and greatly impacts their quality of life. A big reason they develop this illness is because of the country’s unique geographical features.
Mali’s Unique Geographical Features
Mali is located in West Africa, most of it lying in the southern Sahara Desert, which produces an extremely hot, dust-laden climate. The country is mostly flat, with rolling northern plains covered in sand. The thermal equator, which matches the hottest spots year-round on the planet based on the mean daily annual temperature, crosses the country as well. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Mali is the second hottest country in the entire world. It also receives very little rainfall, so droughts are incredibly frequent. In fact, the vast northern desert part of Mali has a hot desert climate with long, extremely hot summers and scarce rainfall, while the central area has a hot semi-arid climate with very high temperatures year-round, a long, intense dry season, and a brief, irregular rainy season.
How This Impacts People in Mali
It is for these reasons that many people in Mali suffer from extreme heat and clean water and food scarcity, which leads to malnutrition, which in turn causes cataracts. Dust from local sandstorms scratching the cornea also contribute to cataract symptoms.
Unfortunately, cataracts interfere with a person’s daily activities and causes them to have to relearn tasks such as how to navigate their home and village, eat, wash themselves, take care of their families, and live a fulfilling life. The disease is debilitating for the entire family, because when one family member develops the disease, they often need the rest of the family to assist them with their everyday activities. This in turn leads to multiple family members being unable to work, further perpetuating the region’s extreme poverty. Because of the extreme poverty in many areas of Mali, many people can’t afford cars and live hours away from the closest hospital, as there are only about 13 doctors for every 1,000 people. As a result, they’re unable to receive the basic healthcare services necessary to fend against easily treatable diseases like cataracts. Cataracts, in particular, can be cured by a simple 10 minute surgery that permanently fixes vision and ultimately restores people’s ability to live a healthy, productive life.
How You Can Help
Since 2013, our volunteer doctors have performed nearly 60,000 health checkups and 3,700 cataract surgeries with our Mobile Health Clinic, which visits remote areas of Mali lacking basic healthcare service. We also operate the Mali Medical Center, which provides medical equipment to the Clinic Gaoussou Fofana and Clinic Planet Vision in the capital city of Bamako, Mali. By donating today, you will help us give the gifts of sight and health to thousands more people in Mali so they can live healthy, fulfilling lives and contribute to their families and communities.
Cataracts in Africa Affects People of All Ages
When people think of cataracts in Africa, they often imagine older people in need. And it’s true the disease usually affects people 80 years of age and older, but younger people also suffer from eye cataracts, including thousands of children.
What is a Cataract?
Cataracts is a progressive disease of the eye(s) that is the leading cause of blindness in Africa. This is especially true in Mali due to prolonged exposure to sunlight, constant dust from sandstorms, and malnutrition.
Cataracts are debilitating for the entire family, because when one family member develops them, they become dependent on others to assist them with their daily activities. This is tough enough when it’s an older person, but when younger people in the family develop the illness, the problem only exacerbates. This in turn leads to multiple family members being unable to work, further perpetuating their region’s extreme poverty. Below are a few personal stories of young cataract patients Embrace Relief has had the privilege of treating.
Mariam Togola, 9 years old
“Two years ago, I began to have blurry vision in my right eye, and it was getting worse every day. I was told that I had cataracts and that if I did not get surgery, I would eventually go blind. This terrified me. I didn’t want to not be able to play, see my friends or family, or live in darkness. Thank you Embrace Relief, I can clearly see the faces of my mom, dad, and little sister again.”
Kaditou Toure, 39 years old
“For years, I was not able to walk on my own, wash myself, or see the faces of my husband and child. Now, I have regained my independence and reclaimed my life! Thank you for showing me kindness. I can now see the beautiful world again and all of its colors.”
Abdoulaye Traore, 14 years old
“I remember I began to lose my peripheral vision in my left eye and things got really dark and blurry. Not long after, I could only see shadows and my right eye was starting to hurt from straining it from so much use. I was so happy when I saw the Mobile Health Clinic because I knew they would help me! I can’t wait to see the world with both eyes again. Thank you.”
Eye cataracts don’t only affect people 80 years old and older. Due to the living conditions in areas of Africa, including Mali, people of all ages suffer from the debilitating disease and require cataract surgery. Thankfully, it’s an easy, painless, and short 10 minute procedure, and life is forever changed for the better after receiving the surgery.
How You Can Help
Since 2013, our volunteer doctors have performed nearly 60,000 health checkups and 3,700 cataract surgeries with our Mobile Health Clinic, which visits remote areas of Mali lacking basic healthcare service. We also operate the Mali Medical Center, which provides medical equipment to the Clinic Gaoussou Fofana and Clinic Planet Vision in the capital city of Bamako, Mali. With your $120 donation, we perform one cataract surgery and 15 health checkups. So, by donating today, you will give back the gifts of sight and health to thousands more people in Mali—of all ages—so they can live long, fulfilling lives and contribute to their communities.
