Climate Change-Africa Opportunities (CCAO) supports the "Clean water for healthier communities" project in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo

publié le 18-04-2020

Summary

The objective of this project is to inspire and mobilize other young people to become agents of change for the improvement of access to drinking water for vulnerable families and communities in order to contribute to the significant reduction morbidity and mortality due to waterborne diseases in the city of Bukavu (in DR Congo) through the establishment of one pools of 120 young dynamic, passionate and innovative  for the production, extension and support of communities vulnerable to the correct use of the bio-sand filter for drinking water. This project has targeted young people as drivers of change in their communities, given the immense potential they hold to positively influence society by engaging in action and carrying a message of social advancement activities of this project. We believe that this will give them an opportunity to participate as front-line change agents for all of these targeted communities in Bukavu (DR Congo). The positive impact of this project inspired other young people in DR Congo to become agents of change in the water field for the benefit of their communities.

Problem / challenge description

Indeed, the “Clean water project for healthier communities” comes to bring a solution well adapted to the problem of the lack of drinking water(following climate change), which negatively impacts and at the highest level the health of the populations of Bukavu (DR Congo) where families vulnerable are forced to resort to unsuitable water from lakes and rivers near the two sites targeted by this project in both countries (water from Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River at Bukavu in DR Congo. This water drawn by communities and families vulnerable to lake kivu, ruzizi are not drinkable, their poor quality is at the origin of the room for hand diseases and those of water origin whose first victims are women and children. This promotes and justifies the increase in maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates in the city of Bukavu ( DR Congo) means that there is also the problem of ignorance and false beliefs of the vulnerable populations ables on the evils of the consumption of dirty water suggesting that black A fricans never die germs.

Results /Impact

With the support of Climate Change-Africa Opportunities (CCAO), 120 young volunteers (girls and boys) are trained in the techniques of making sand filters in Bukavu (DR Congo). 120 bio sand filters were produced and installed in 120 vulnerable households who currently have access to drinking water in the peripheral districts of the city of Bukavu. About 1,000 people from the 120 targeted households were sensitized and educated on health, the environment, gender and hygiene in the local community.