Millions of Ethiopians gain access to clean water and sanitation facilities
Between 1994 and 2022, around 5.4 million Ethiopians gained access to clean water thanks to cooperation between Finland and Ethiopia. Water services were extended to 1,500 schools and 1,300 health centres. This benefited more than 1.2 million pupils, teachers and healthcare workers, and more than 800,000 of them also gained access to improved sanitation.
The COWASH project, which began in 2011, is a community-based project in which local communities, schools and health centres are responsible for implementing their water supply and sanitation projects. The project also involves people with disabilities in the planning, implementation and maintenance of water and sanitation services. They have learned about societal decision-making and improved their self-esteem in the process.
Background
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, 52 per cent of Ethiopia’s population had access to at least basic water services in 2022, compared to only 18 per cent in 2000.
Easily accessible water points are especially important for population groups such as rural women, who may otherwise have to spend several hours fetching household water.
According to the WHO, nearly 20 million Ethiopians suffer from a physical or mental disability or illness that diminishes their quality of life. The majority live in poverty without a safety net. Societal attitudes are also often negative: people with disabilities are rarely talked about, and a disabled child may be considered a source of shame.
Impact of Finland's development cooperation
COWASH operates in 104 districts across seven regions. Finland’s share of the project’s funding has varied between 30 and 40 per cent, with the remainder coming from the Ethiopian government and village communities. Finland supports the fourth phase of the project with EUR 18.4 million between 2021 and 2024, the Ethiopian government with EUR 20.5 million, and local village communities with EUR 2.1 million.
In addition to COWASH, Finland also funded Ethiopia’s national OneWASH programme with EUR 4 million from 2020 to 2023.