More than 20,000 people in the Eparchy of Emdibir have been rescued from the problem of waterborne disease after the completion and inauguration of Megenasi clean water project this week.
The project which was supported by Germany Catholic Agency (Misereor) was inaugurated by His Eminence Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel, C.M., and Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa, President of Catholic Bishops Conference and Chairman of AMECEA in collaboration with His Excellency Bishop Musie Ghebreghiorghis of the Eparchy of Emdibir.
Speaking on the occasion Cardinal Berhaneyesus asked the people to protect the infrastructure and ensure its sustainability. “I am happy to see today your feeling of ownership for this project, I ask you to use it responsibly now so that you can benefit from it in the long term” he said.
Bishop Ghebreghiorghis, for his part said access to clean water has been one of the greatest challenges in the area where waterborne disease is one of the main causes of serious illness for the society. “It has been our dream for a longtime to see the people of this area have access to clean water,” he said adding that “I thank God now that this dream is realized with the support of our partner Misereor.”
He also recalled that the Catholic Church in Ethiopia since she first arrived in the Emdibir area, has been contributing a lot for the ongoing development of the area specially in the sectors of health and clean water provision.
Regional government representatives and elders also gave their testimony on the successful contributions of the Catholic Church in the Guraghe Zone (Eparchy of Emdibir) and stated their readiness to collaborate with the Catholic Church for further development endeavors.
By Makeda Yohannes; ECC - Social Communications and Public Relations Officer