Emerging from 27 years of civil war, Angola is making the transition into development. Despite the relative calm, the World Health Organization reports that 60% of Angolans in rural areas lack access to improved water sources and 86% lack access to improved sanitation facilities. When one in four Angolan children die before the age of five and the second leading cause of their deaths are diarrheal diseases, safe drinking water is a major health concern1. Addressing this debilitating but preventable barrier to health, we work with communities in the northern Uige Province on an environmental health program to create a sustainable water supply system reaching 20,000 people and to facilitate community health education workshops stressing the preventive importance of basic hygiene and sanitation.
Ravaged by nearly three decades of war, Angolans have suffered enormous hardship for generations with over 500,000 people killed in the conflict. While most displaced people returned to their homes following the ceasefire in 2002, the day-to-day struggle to survive remains a challenge for most Angolans. Despite the relative calm, enormous developmental challenges persist since basic health care and other infrastructure hardly exist outside of the capital, Luanda. The World Health Organization reports that 60% of Angolans in rural areas lack access to improved water sources and 86% lack access to improved sanitation facilities. When one in four Angolan children die before the age of five and the second leading cause of their deaths are diarrheal diseases, safe drinking water is a major health concern.2
From health care to medical waste disposal and safe drinking water, from the eastern province of Luanda Norte to the isolated province of Uige and the capital, our grantee has worked with Angolan partners throughout their post-crisis transition.
Environmental Health
Safe Drinking Water & Sanitation
Existing water sources in rural Uige Province are often far away rivers and streams or dilapidated, dysfunctional wells and reservoirs from the Portuguese colonial-era.Using an electricity-free gravity fed water adduction system, this program has linked 10 villages to ensure their sustainable access to safe, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Working with community volunteers, this program has:
- Constructed 4 reservoirs and 4 dams diverting water into the reservoirs
- Dug trenches and laid over 17 miles of piping to channel water to villages
- Constructed 50 community fountains and wash houses in 10 villages
- Constructed toilet facilities in each village
Each village now plays an active role in the maintenance of the water system, facilitating local ownership over the project and building a strong foundation for its long-term success. Local water committees have been elected by each village and have been trained to maintain and manage the water system, including an affordable cost-recovery system that will pay for any future costs.
Medical Waste Management
Many health facilities in Angola currently lack systems to manage medical waste, which can be hazardous for patients, medical personnel, and local communities. Working with local health authorities in Uige and the capital of Luanda, our grantee has begun strengthening local health capacities through the creation of medical hygiene infrastructure and training. This innovative program includes the construction of purpose-built incinerators made entirely from affordable and local material, the training of local health workers in medical hygiene standards and waste disposal methods, and the training of local artisans to replicate the locally-designed incinerator model. An essential component to a community’s overall health, MAC aims to expand its support for this project in the hope of creating a sustainable waste management system, adapted to the socio-economic conditions of Angola.
Community Health Education
Working hand in hand with the water supply system project are community health education workshops stressing the importance of personal and household hygiene, public sanitation, drinking water from clean sources and causes of disease. Working in partnership with a local Angolan NGO, Secut Bagos, our grantee finds culturally appropriate ways to spread health awareness that will pay off in the form of illness prevention.
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