2019: Day 2 – Riding for Chefae Anidi Village

Life in Chefae Anidi: Mamo’s Story
Almaz lay in bed when we arrived to meet her family. A thin blanket lay over the mother of three, and the edges of her mouth pulled into a frown.

“I worry for our kids that they will be affected by the disease,” her husband, Mamo, said. “We are using unsafe water in the village and the children may catch the disease from contact with their mother.”

Mamo, his wife Almaz, and their three young children live in Chefae Anidi village, where water is gathered from a river that trickles through the village.

Two weeks before we met Mamo’s family, Almaz was experiencing a dangerous amount of weight loss, diarrhea, and fever. Mamo brought her to the hospital, where she was kept for a week, and spent over $70 USD in an attempt to restore her health.

For a family living in poverty in Ethiopia, this is an astronomical cost.

The doctors believe that Almaz has amoebiasis, a parasite transmitted through contaminated food and water.

“It is not good for me and my family because I cannot manage to collect our coffee beans at the right time and I have to care for our children,” the father of three said, scooping a child into his arms. “We have high expenses and not enough income.”

Mamo does not know when or if his wife will recover, and he is overcome with worry.

When asked what he would do if his village received safe water, Mamo said he would invest in his farming business, save, and hope to see greater health in his family.

“I hope to use a motor pump for irrigation and harvest more vegetables,” he said.
You can help Mamo, Almaz, and others in Chefae Anidi today. Your gift will provide health training for each household, plus a new, safe water source near their village.

Lasting change means more than just building a well. Local Lifewater staff will work house by house to teach healthy habits and share the love of Christ with everyone.

Here’s what happens when you sponsor a village water project through Lifewater: