The rural town of Tercha has seen incredible population growth over the past 10 years as the number of people living here has grown from 2500 to more than 10,000. Hours from the nearest city, Tercha is isolated, but still bustling. The dusty dirt roads are full of livestock and small markets and mud hut “coffee shops” seem to pop up all along little roads and paths. It may be deeply impoverished, but the town is still a buzz with activity.
Village Projects
- 12 water projects
9 spring protection developments, 3 water distribution points, water pipeline extension - 4 school buildings
16 furnished classrooms, latrines - 1 maternity ward
medical equipment, latrines
Tercha Need
The need in Tercha is great. While the population has boomed over the last decade, there is no infrastructure in place to adequately deal with the growth and support the people. The town desperately needs to provide the thousands of people who live there with safe water for drinking, washing, and bathing. The Tercha Hospital also needs clean water. It is hard to imagine a hospital not having clean water, but that is the reality in Tercha. Water must be brought to the hospital. Additionally, the hospital itself needs work. As the hospital in Tercha serves all of the surrounding areas, which accounts for more than half a million people, it is imperative that this hospital has a maternity ward. Currently there is no place for women to get maternal care and this is a pressing and urgent need. In addition to the maternity ward, new equipment is also needed at the hospital so that it can better attend to the hundreds of thousands of people that it serves. Beyond water and health care, Tercha town also needs new school facilities. With thousands of children in the town, Tercha must be able to accommodate them for school and they currently do not have the ability to do so. The schools that exist are dilapidated and are incredibly overcrowded. New school facilities are necessary to provide a quality learning environment so that the students no longer have to sit huddled together on the dirt floors trying to focus on lessons.
September 1, 2011
Back to school is an exciting time of year especially for the Shasho Primary School students living just outside Tercha in Ethiopia. As these children head back to school to sit on the floor of their old dilapidated mud classrooms, they will be able to see their new school blocks under construction just outside their windows. They might begin this schoolyear in their old buildings, but they will end the year in brand new classrooms. The progress on the two new school blocks is more than 50% complete. The foundation work is finished and the wall work is in progress. In the coming weeks, laborers and contractors will construct the roofs for the buildings. Once all of the exterior work is complete, they will begin completion of the interiors.
Less than a year ago, thousands of people in and around Tercha lived every day without access to clean water. But change is coming. We are happy to report that most of these people are now close to living a healthier life with safe water. The water projects under construction are primarily spring protection developments. Thanks to the expertise of our project engineers and those involved with construction, 10 of these spring protections are already more than 90% complete. With the water projects nearing completion, the communities are engaging in water and sanitation training. Community members, selected by their peers, are taking part in comprehensive training on how to use and maintain their water points. This will ensure that these water points are sustainable and remain fully functional for years to come.
© 2010 A Glimmer of Hope. All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Photos by Esther Havens; additional photos by Kristin Laughlin and Lynne Dobson.