Selected primary schools in southern Ethiopia now have access to much-needed clean and sanitary water facilities thanks to Chinese organisations.
According to a joint statement sent to Xinhua by the Chinese organisations, the five air-water generators were jointly donated by the China-Africa Leadership Development Institute (CALDI) at Tsinghua University, the HurRain NanoTech team, and the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), the former China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation.
Thanks to the facilities, which were dispersed among a few elementary schools in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s (SNNP) Region of Ethiopia, about 2,106 young Ethiopian students will now have access to clean, sanitary water. Key-Afer, Tulungo, Sitimba, Turmi, and Demeka are some of these institutions.
The former first lady of Ethiopia, Roman Tesfaye, local Ethiopian government officials, notably South Omo Zone Education Department Head Weli Haile, and top Chinese representatives all attended the official distribution of the facilities.
Many experts stress the need for urgent humanitarian aid as Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa experience the worst drought in decades, where the effects of the lack of rain in many rainy seasons are exacerbated by conflicts, climate change, locust infestations, and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An project started by CALDI and sponsored by CFRD has resulted in the modification of an innovative water purification system with graphene-enabled filters and the invention of a particular energy-efficient type of air-water generator suitable for Ethiopian local weather.
According to the statement, the team put in extra effort on the prototype and prepared the tools months ahead of time.
The donated facilities made it to Ethiopia despite the challenges brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and passed many rounds of quality inspections by the Ethiopian Food and Drug Administration, which is part of the Ministry of Health.
Ethiopia is the first country to implement the air-water generator, which takes moisture from the air and generates clean water by just plugging it in. The statement claims that the technology offers locals real advantages.
Such equipment “is very suitable for the climatic conditions in SNNP region, and children can drink safely,” said Roman Tesfaye, the former first lady of Ethiopia, during a ceremony held to mark the distribution of the latest technology. “Ethiopia is suffering from drought and water shortage, this high-tech, zero waste, no-plastic-bottle-waste water purification solution, will directly help schools and communities.”
The Key Afer District administrator, Muda Wacho, urged the students to safeguard the water supply while emphasising the critical significance of the new operational facilities in meeting the students’ need for clean water.