The Power of liberation through access to clean water for Adolescents

Water and sanitation are essential for our life and health, but they are also essential for dignity, empowerment, and prosperity. Water and sanitation are human rights, fundamental to every child, and adult. But in Apotokitoo Village, Rwot Kweri (Alegopac) Lamog Sub-county – Amuru District, poor sanitation and hygiene, as well as unequal access to safe drinking water, make thousands of children very sick and at risk of death.

According to Acaa Nancy Ruth a teenage girl from Apotokitoo Village “Unclean water and a lack of basic sanitation undermine efforts to end extreme poverty and disease such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid in our community.” Previously before AMREF came in to rehabilitate our borehole, fetching water was a problem.

We used to walk long distances looking for clean water for home use and some days being delayed for school. Therefore, I would like to appreciate AMREF for extending water to us and even during the pandemic of COVID19 we are able to access water to clear our hand throughout.

“My 16- and 13-years old friends were raped by a man when they were sent to fetch water at the old wellspring late in the evening by their parents” explained Anena Proscovia a teenage girl from Apotokitoo Village. Amref Health Africa has done us great by rehabilitating our borehole, we can easily collect water without fear of  any form of violence as we draw water from the bore hole because it is very near home and all the bushes near it are always cleared away.

Previously me and classmates used to spend hours each day walking kilometers to the water spring to collect water.

Today more teenage girls are staying in school are hours they could have spent in the classroom. And as girls, the journey to fetch water was dangerous due to the risk of sexual assaults along the way Anena explained.

Amref Health Africa

Amref Health Africa teams up with African communities to create lasting health change.