Basic Needs

Approach

Why Basic Needs

Basic needs are required for an individual to maintain long-term physical well-being in a dignified and respectable way. This means having access to clean water, food, shelter, and sanitation. While some parts of the world never have to question whether those resources will be available to them, there are many communities that do. COME UNITY is committed to giving back that security to our partner communities.

When we partner with a community, we collaborate to identify ways to improve that community’s overall quality of life. For many rural communities that starts with access to clean water. On average, women in rural areas walk six kilometers (3.7 miles) each way, two to three times a day to fetch water. Oftentimes this water is from a shallow well or river and contains bacteria and contaminants that cause disease, and even death. Collecting water takes a significant toll on a woman's body: from the dent the 45 pound jerry can leaves on her forehead to the fatigue, dizziness, and miscarriages that result from walking long distances in severe heat. Women must also leave their small children unsupervised for hours at a time. At the end of her walk daily tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and repairing the manyatta (a home made of mud, ash, and cow dung) await her when she returns.

And the most troubling part? Below the same ground her feet travel each day lie aquifers filled with drinkable water. Together with our donors, COME UNITY brings clean water to communities that restores physical helps and alleviates the burden that so many women face each day. Giving a woman her days back creates time—time to care for her children, time to be with her family, and time to explore new opportunities to be an active member of her community.

GIVE

The Facts

  • 27% of Kenyans and 49% of Ethiopians drink from unprotected water sources, such as surface water and unprotected springs and wells.

    Source:  Kenyan DHS

  • In rural Africa, women walk an average of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) and spend 26% of their lives walking to fetch water, collectively nearly 40 billion hours each year.

    Source:  UNESCO World Water Assessment Program, 2015

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    40% of children under 5 in Ethiopia and 26% of children under 5 in Kenya are malnourished.

    Source:  Kenyan DHS

     

Our Response

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    COME UNITY has completed 8 clean water projects. Each borehole (water well) brings clean water to hundreds of homes.

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    By providing access to clean water, women have more time to care for their families, for their homes and to become more active members of their community.

     

  • Our sponsored children in Ethiopia receive a meal each day at school; for some, this is their main meal. Our greenhouse project in Kenya produces food for the school children and generates income to offset the school’s operating costs.

Timeline

Ilbissil, Kenya 2009
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COME UNITY’s first borehole, in Ilbissil, was completed in the fall of 2009, nearly one kilometer from the Ilbissil Secondary Girls School.

Pece, Uganda 2009
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Prior to this clean water source, there was no access for miles and miles. While in Pece, a COME UNITY team watched the installation of this borehole and celebrated with the people for the clean water.

Kiserian, Kenya 2010
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In 2010, COME UNITY provided a pump for the borehole at the Kiserian Centre for Sustainable Solutions. The center is a place where local women can come to learn agriculture skills, greenhouse farming, and small business practices.

Powuako, Ghana 2010
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Powuako village received a new pump from COME UNITY and our partners in 2010, after their previous pump became dysfunctional.

Sheda, Ethiopia 2011-2013
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In 2011, COME UNITY committed to working with the Sheda community to install a borehole. Many rural people come to Sheda for water, and the borehole was completed in May of 2013 after many attempts to locate a quality water source and drill a clean hole.

Ilbissil, Kenya 2016
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In 2016, COME UNITY completed the second water project for Ilbissil. The local community contributed significantly to this borehole because they needed a greater supply of water to support the recently installed drip irrigation system.

Inkuseron, Kenya 2016-2017
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In 2016, our team visited Inkuseron and drew water from the muddy and contaminated source with the women of the community. This Spring, COME UNITY will drill a new borehole and supply clean, safe water for the people of Inkuseron.

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