Ato Million Mathewos, Chief Administrator of the Sidama Zone,
Distinguished Guests,
Community Members of the Kebado Kebele,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Endemen Aderachehu.  Kero Galtini.

I am most grateful to all of you for your very warm welcome today.  This is my first trip to Sidama, and I am very happy to be able to visit this part of the country and see you all.  As you can see from this nicely designed Sidama jacket presented to me by the Zone Administration yesterday, I am already an Honorary Citizen of Sidama!

Now, it is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to attend the inauguration ceremony for the project to establish a water supply system in the Dara Woreda.  The project was funded by Japan’s grant-in-aid scheme for grassroots and human security projects, amounting to USD 112,358, based upon the grant contract we signed last September.  Our project partner is the Resurrection and Life Development Organization, an Ethiopian NGO active in Sidama.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Access to potable water substantially improved in Ethiopia during the PASDEP period (2005/06 - 2009/10), increasing from 35% to 65.8% in rural areas on average.  In many local communities, however, access to potable water is still a great challenge, and the Kebado Kebele, the capital of the Dara Woreda, is no exception.  In this village, access to potable water remains less than 20% while it is 44% in the entire Sidama Zone.  In this village, only one water supply system has been available, which was constructed by the local government about 30 years ago.  In those days it was sufficient as the population only numbered 500.  Due to a population increase during the last 30 years, however, the water supply has not been enough to satisfy the increased demand of over 8,000 residents.  Thus, many of the residents have had no choice but to use unprotected spring and river water far from their residences.  The women and children have not only been forced to undertake the heavy duty of fetching water, walking long distances, but the residents have also faced the risk of suffering from water-borne diseases such as diarrhea helmentis.

              In these circumstances, this project aimed at improving access to safe water in the Kebado Kebele by developing a new water supply system, utilizing one bore hole dug by the Sidama Zone Water and Energy office two years ago.  Through this project, a submerged pump and a generator have been installed, a generator house, a 50-cubic meter water reservoir and two water distribution points with six faucets have been constructed, and a 3,524 meter water pipeline has been installed.  As a result, the residents in the Kebado Kebele who used to depend on unprotected water, will benefit.  They will be able to enjoy safe water, and many women and children will be relieved of the burden of fetching water every day.  The residents will also be relieved from the risk of water-borne diseases.

There is one more point worth mentioning about this project.  It is a community endeavor.  The residents actively participated in this project by offering their labor and construction materials.  In addition, our project partner, the Resurrection and Life Development Organization, particularly its Executive Director, Ato Belachew, has done an excellent job with us, completing the project in time in collaboration with the local community and the local authority, and in line with the project guidelines.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The newly established water supply system is now handed over to the community and the Woreda. I am confident that you will make the most use of it and enjoy great benefits.  At the same time, please keep in mind that it is equally important to maintain the facilities in good condition so that the water supply system will serve the local interests for a long time.  Finally, I do hope that we can work together again in the future for the economic and social benefit of underprivileged people in rural areas of Ethiopia.

Amesegenalehu.  Galatinemo.