Yesterday was the last day of my fellowship with Water to Thrive (W2T) and tomorrow, I’ll be boarding my ninth plane of the summer headed back to my family. Did you get that? Nine planes. Now, I wish I had recorded the exact airtime that amounts to, but a rough estimation comes out to just short of two full days above the clouds. For anyone who hasn’t seen what I’ve been up to this summer, I’ve been in the wonderful heat of Austin, Texas. Before settling here for the summer, however, I went on a two-week trip to Ethiopia with W2T where we toured the country and experienced the results of enabling and empowering rural communities through the gift of clean and accessible water. It’s fascinating for me to think of the amount of time I’ve spent in planes this summer, because it wasn’t so long ago that I had little interest in traveling. I was comfortable with the environment in which I grew up, and I guess that explains why it’s less than a three-hour drive home from school. I am beyond joyful that I ended up at such a fantastic university that made me aware of and prompted me to go to places I hadn’t considered before.

The cover sheet for the BPD.

In my last post, I reflected on the idea that being partially immersed into another culture, especially in another country, can influence your perspective and how you understand and share that perspective with others. I have continued to grapple with that idea this summer through discussions with other CAPS fellows and conversations with those in the office. I have been especially fortunate to consider this through my work on a Best Practices Document for W2T’s implementing partners. The BPD, as it has been conveniently named, will serve as a guideline for implementing partners of W2T. Its purpose is, in part, to “ensure efficient and effective service delivery while maintaining desired quality standards.” Thus, it is a resource that will be available to NGO partners as well as a way for Water to Thrive to evaluate the quality of services that their partners provide to rural communities.

Thomas and I on the last day.

The idea of the document might sound really great, and in our research this summer, Thomas (another W2T intern) and myself have seen that there is a whole network of great resources out there for non-profits and NGOs that aim to accomplish something similar to ours. However, we have come to realize that those who work in international development must be very mindful of the role that we can play. Thomas has a saying that goes: “Never do for somebody else what they can do for themselves.” It has become something that we keep constantly on our minds as we write the document because in the area of rural water supply, failure to work by that saying has caused many water projects to fail far sooner than they should. Many good-intentioned and qualified people have worked, individually and through organizations, toward providing clean water to those who need it, and have failed to fully grasp that it is community initiative, not just expert outsider influence, that allows for sustainable projects.

As we’ve proceeded with the BPD, we’ve wrestled with identifying areas where we are at liberty to require, or should rather just recommend. We’ve also come across areas where we ought not try to offer anything because either we don’t know, can’t understand as Americans, or need to leave it completely open for the community to decide. To try to account for this, the above mentioned idea of community initiative has formed the basis for the BPD. From the selection of the location to the long-term maintenance of the project, the community is to be fully involved. The communities to be served are chosen by Water to Thrive partners based on their need, but also on their willingness and ability to manage and maintain the water point. All beneficiaries of the water are required to pay, if they are able, a small monthly amount of money that is saved toward a maintenance fund, as well as used to pay a guard who ensures that the water point is not abused. All W2T projects are required to have Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) committees. These committees start to form before construction even begins and members take on different roles to manage the water point, as well as prompt community members to make decisions that are in the best interest of all. The community is expected to contribute to the construction of the project in different ways. That may include providing laborers or even paving a road for construction vehicles. In the experience of Water to Thrive, these initiatives along with many others have led to successful and sustainable projects.  My hope is that Thomas and I were able to communicate humbly, accurately, and clearly and that the BPD may become a useful resource for W2T’s partners.

Working for W2T this summer has been invaluable to me in many ways and taught me countless lessons. I’ll just write about a few. I’ve learned how to be a better team member, as Thomas and I have needed to come to mutual decisions about the best, yet realistic, procedures. I’ve learned to struggle with a tough task, to make a plan and make deadlines, to improvise when information is lacking or an email response won’t come. I’ve learned about the constant need to put aside initial perceptions or ideas that I feel like should be used, and rather place focus on what may really be best for communities. I’ve learned that success is sometimes found in the process more than at the end. I think this last one has been the most encouraging, since we didn’t write all we wanted to into the document. It’s been an incredible journey this summer, though, as I’ve worked with great people in the office and in Ethiopia. I’m sad to leave so early, but excited to see how the experience and lessons learned this summer guide me forward.

The group upon arriving at the Addis Ababa airport, posing with our tour guide, Yohannes.

When I accepted my CAPS fellow position as an intern with Water to Thrive (W2T) in Austin, I knew that a trip to Ethiopia would be a part of it. What I didn’t realize was how much I would learn about the country and how visible the impact would be that W2T has on rural communities there. Over the span of two weeks, our small group toured about 40% of the country and had the chance to visit twelve well sites sponsored by donors. W2T has been funding water projects in Ethiopia since it was founded in 2007 and in that time, numerous groups of donors from all around the country have had the chance to travel there. Our group of nine people included W2T’s founder, executive director, another intern, myself, and five other travelers.

The Church of St. George in Lalibella. It was the final of the eleven rock-hewn churches to be carved and is completely monolithic, meaning in one piece.

We traveled to six major Ethiopian cities, separate from the rural communities. In Addis Ababa, the capital, we saw the National Museum which among many national treasures, contained the skeletal remains of Lucy. In Lalibella, we saw the incredible rock-hewn orthodox churches, with each architectural aspect symbolizing something biblical. In Axum, we saw the ancient obelisks which serve as markers of tombs of royalty. Near Hawassa in the Omo Valley, we met members of the Mursi tribe, where the women are famous for using lip-plates. These were just a few of the historic and cultural places we visited. Our tour guide throughout the whole trip was fantastic and knew so much about the country.

People of one rural community standing behind a line of “jerry cans” leading to a recently completed hand-dug well.

As amazing as it was to see and learn the history of the beautiful Ethiopia, it couldn’t compare to the opportunity to be with the twelve rural communities and celebrate the gift of clean water. Each of the wells we visited was recently completed or will be soon. And each one serves at least 200 people and often many more due to the need in the areas. At some of the most recently completed wells, we were greeted with popcorn, coffee, dancing, and shouts of celebration. But at each completed site, we heard how much of difference the clean and accessible water was having on the health and well-being of the people. Women no longer spent hours collecting water for their families and hurting their backs with the weight of the containers. Children, especially five and under, no longer fell ill or died due to water-borne diseases. The overall improved well-being of the community often brought more opportunities for education, women’s rights, and collaboration for further improvements. It was full of truly special moments as we celebrated with the communities on behalf of the contributions of so many.

Taking notes as Weredekal, a representative of REST explains the details of a well and translates between us and the community members.

On an individual level, the trip has already impacted me both professionally and personally. Professionally, the experience provided a clear view of one way I can use my engineering degree and set me up to complete a difficult task this summer. We met just a few representatives from W2T’s hard working local partners REST and DAASC. Without these organizations and their intuitive and skilled leaders, none of the projects we saw could have been completed with the same results described in the section above. For me, it was really neat to see how these leaders, who each had technical backgrounds, had committed themselves to addressing the massive need of clean water supply in their country. I only hope I can commit myself in a similar way to a need and help generate results as visible and widespread. As I visited each well site, I took notes on the specific aspects of each project. This included site selection, well construction techniques, water committee organization, water source protection, as well as social and cultural concerns. These notes, in combination with research on water supply processes form the basis of the best practices document that another W2T intern and I will dedicate most of the summer to.

A boy trying very hard to collect every drop of water in a jerry can.

Two girls smiling as they pump water together.

Personally, the experience has greatly influenced my perspective. Before the trip, I heard something that has stuck with me since. It was along the lines of “All we can bring to a situation is our perspective.” I have thought a lot on that since. Ask anyone who’s traveled to a different country or spent time among those of a very different background, and I think this idea would resonate with them. I think there’s something special about sharing your perspective and hearing or seeing a very different one. For me, it does at least two things. It first reaffirms the many similarities that exist between people and then it enables me to see how my own perspective and role may fit into a larger context. The first concept was most clear to me as I talked with a woman who owned a small shop in the city of Axum. The woman was 22 years old, and had three adorable kids with her. She knew a little English and when I told her I was 21, she pointed out that “we are similar.” It was a neat moment because I realized that in spite of all of our differences, we were really more similar than different. The second concept is one that I think I’ll always be figuring out, one that will hopefully become clearer as I determine how I can serve and do my part in an organization.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel with W2T on this incredible trip to Ethiopia. I’m especially thankful for the role of the College of Engineering in helping cover the cost of the trip. It was an experience that will certainly continue to guide me in my life and professional decisions. I am excited to see how my time with Water to Thrive continues to challenge my thinking on how to best serve rural communities in Africa.