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1.4 million people to get potable water through EU, UNICEF funding
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Addis Ababa, December 21, 2006 (WIC) – The European Union and the United Nations Children’s Fund have formed a partnership to co-finance a water development program that provides water access for 1.4 million people with an out lay of 29 million dollars. According to a press release issued by UNICEF, the program will be implemented in the coming five years by the government of Ethiopia. The partnership will have a special focus on protecting children’s health in a bid to both reduce mortality and school dropout rate through providing access for drinking water, the absence of which is proved to be a major cause for the death of 250,000 children every year, low rate of school attendance and high dropout rate of girls, it added. More than 156 schools across the country will get safe water supplies, sanitation facilities and hygiene education sessions that will improve the health and well-being of more than 160,000 school girls and boys. The press release recalled that Ethiopia has been making a big stride to change the situation of water problem through the Universal Access Plan and a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding for integrated development and implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene education. |
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