Submitted by Marc De'ath

Our friends and supporters Ecover, has today launched a three-year partnership with WaterAid to support a project in Ethiopia, providing sustainable and ongoing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

Just like Sustained, Ecover and WaterAid share the objective to provide effective, sustainable solutions for the hygienic needs of people around the world.

Activities in 2008/9 will include:

• Construction of 4 gravity water supply schemes

• Construction of 5 protected springs

• Construction of 8 hand-dug wells fitted with hand pumps

• Construction of a rainwater catchment scheme for  a school

• Construction of a rainwater harvesting scheme  for a health centre
  
  All water supply infrastructure construction will be accompanied by the construction of separate ash basins and cattle troughs at water points, to ensure that drinking water is kept free from contamination.
  

The partnership will also fund:

• Construction of traditional pit latrines for 1,350 households

• Construction of safe waste disposal pits for 1,600 households

• Construction of two ventilated improved pit latrines

• Eight celebrations promoting sanitation and good hygiene

• Hygiene promotion activities reaching 10,000 people

• Hygienic household training sessions for 2,000 households

• Production and distribution of 5,000 hygiene and sanitation posters

  Traditional pit latrines are built using locally available materials, by members of the community trained in construction techniques. Two ventilated improved pit latrines will be constructed to enable the community to learn how to improve traditional pit latrines.

For more information visit www.ecoverwateraid.com/