PowerUp Ethiopia is a sustainable development effort to construct a solar-powered water well at the Ganda Boya High School approximately one hour from Harar, Ethiopia for an estimated total project cost of $25,000. The collaborative project is one between Concordia Humana, an Ohio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and Haramaya University, which is based in northeastern Ethiopia near the city of Harar. Initial planning began in late 2013 and the grassroots fundraising effort began at the start of 2014. [Learn More]
Why a well? Why solar?
Fast access to clean water and energy are key drivers of development for three reasons. First, clean water prevents a variety of waterborne pathogens and therefore allows communities to reduce both adult and child disease and mortality. Second, fast access to clean water allows individuals to spend the hours they would have spent walking long distances for water in school or at work. Where walking for water allows a community to subsist, education and the growth of businesses allow the community to prosper. Finally, solar power with a battery backup system allows these benefits to continue through power outages endemic to a faulty rural power grid.
What is the project's timeframe?
An early estimate based on our current grassroots fundraising capacity sets the completion date around the end of 2015. The urgency of the need for fast access to clean water cannot be ignored, and we are actively seeking ways to accelerate the fundraising process in order to bring the project to completion sooner.
How can I help?
The sooner the well is built, the sooner the community around Ganda Boya High School can be freed from the time-consuming daily chore of fetching unsafe drinking water by foot. You can help in three ways:
Tell others about us. Meeting our fundraising goal is directly related to how many communities we can engage ain the fight for access to clean water.
Advise us professionally. There is always room for improvement, and we are happy to hear what you think.
Who is Concordia Humana?
We are an organization that seeks to relieve social injustice around the world through fundraising, awareness, and partnerships with other similar agencies, and we strongly value integrity, the efficient use of resources, the involvement of the local community, attention to details, and respect for all stakeholders, especially those who benefit from our work. [Learn More]
At present, Concordia Humana is composed completely of volunteers, and runs a budget that has seen approximately 5% administrative overhead since its inception in 2009. Volunteers currently cover all travel-related expenses personally.
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