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The restorative power of water
The township of Ayaber in northern Ethiopia is about as isolated as it gets.
Sitting on the side of the Mezezo Escarpment in the Amahara Region of Ethiopia, Ayaber is almost two miles above sea level and at least two hazardous hours on foot beneath the nearest road.
Visitors to Ayaber are so uncommon, inhabitants like 65-year-old mother of eight Dabash Tafesse had begun to believe that they had been forgotten by the outside world.
"In truth, I used to think that we had been forgotten by God himself," Dabash said.
"You can see how we are surrounded by rugged mountains. There are no roads, no health posts, no electricity and no telephone. Who would dare to walk up and down these steep hills to visit us?"
For the people of Ayaber, traversing the mountains for hours a day was a matter of survival. The village had never had a reliable source of water and the water they were able to collect was usually contaminated.
So, a couple of years ago, when a group of local administrators arrived and announced that some people from the United States wanted to provide them with clean water, they were met with a tepid response.
"I did not believe them. I thought that these people were joking," Dabash said.
Imagine her surprise when those same people (from ORDA - one of A Glimmer of Hope's partners) returned to say they were ready to start the work but they were going to need the villagers' help transporting all the materials from the end of the road down to the village.
Eager to end the problems caused by their water woes, the villagers agreed and everyone, young and old, took turns carrying stones, cement, sand, iron bars and other construction materials down from the plain high above.
Some used donkeys but the majority made the treacherous descent loaded up with everything they could carry on their shoulders.
From the start of the construction project, it took four months to complete the two water projects - almost twice as long as it normally takes - with much of that time being taken up transporting materials up and down the mountain. The villagers were also involved in the actual construction phase of the project providing unskilled labor.
Today, Ayaber has two spring development schemes producing enough safe, accessible water for more than 1,000 people throughout the area.
And, Dabash's faith in mankind (and God) has been restored.
"They even elected me to be a member of the water committee," she said, beaming with pride.
"I help make sure everyone in the village will always have enough clean water to drink. It's a very important job."