TRUE LIFE LINK_Ethiopia Project

True LIFE LINK
True Life Link is a non-profit organization that creates a bridge between the developed
world and the people in Africa, providing human resources, supplies and services.
Ethiopia Project
Location: Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
The True Life Link project will begin with the Karo Tribe in the village of Korcho, located
on the Omo River in the Lower Omo Valley in the southwestern region of Ethiopia. The
same project will continue to be duplicated in other villages in the Lower Omo Valley.
The Mission - To supply water for the purpose of agriculture and human consumption.
This will be accomplished by either pumping water directly from the Omo River or
pumping it up from a water table in the ground. The water will be used to irrigate a piece
of land near the village(s). All the material and necessary farming equipment will be
supplied to successfully grow food for the people of that village and surrounding areas.
At the same time, the same water will be processed through a purification system
installed at the location of the pump in order to clean the water for human consumption.
Water Project: Pumping water, Farming and Water filtration
The water project is designed to pump water from the Omo River through a pipe line to
irrigate land for agriculture cultivation. The essential elements for human survival is food
and water. Today there is a critical shortage of food and water in the Lower Omo Valley
because it hasn’t rained in 5 years thus without water, nothing grows. This project will
give the people the opportunity to replace the rain and grow food to sustain their lives.
Materials for the Project
Farming irrigation set-up
- pump - diesel, solar or wind turbine operated
- pipes to carry the water the distance to the agriculture area
- pipe joiners to connect the segments of pipes along the pipeline
- cement blocks to mount the pipeline, raising it off the ground
- water dispersion apparatuses to efficiently spray water over the land
- agriculture supplies, farming equipment and cultivation tools
- fence and shelter to protect the pump from the elements and jealous neighbors
- diesel fuel and storage containers for the operation of the pump in the future
Clean drinking water set-up
- water filtration machine to clean the drinking water from bacteria and parasites
- water storage tank to keep a supply of fresh drinking water - 1000 gallons
- plastic water containers to be used by families to bring water to their house
NOTE: Clean drinking water will dramatically reduce the related medical problems.
Budget
Ethiopian Currency: Birr. Exchange Rate (as of Sept 10th, 2010): $1.00 USD = 13.5 Birr
1. Pump - diesel operated
- size to irrigate 600 square meters of land to feed 400 people 2. Water dispersion apparatuses
3. Metal pipes - 4 meter segments with a 4 inch diameter
- cost 200 birr per pipe = $15.00 USD per pipe
- pipeline: 400 meters - 100 pipe segments X $15.00 USD =
4. Pipe joiners and gaskets 5. Cement blocks - placed at 8 meter intervals = 50 blocks
- rental of cement mixer and material 6. Fence, lock and shelter 7. Labor - installation of pipeline and water pump
- 1 worker earns 100 birr per day - $7.50 USD per day
- 5 workers brought from the town of Konso X 5 days =
8. Diesel fuel supply - for 1 growing season 9. Agriculture supplies, farming equipment and tools 10. Water filtration machine 11. Water storage tank (1000 gallons) 12. Plastic water containers -
Total approximate amount for project -
$2,500.00 USD
$1,500.00 USD
$100.00 USD
$750.00 USD
$250.00 USD
$188.00 USD
$350.00 USD
$200.00 USD
$800.00 USD
$300.00 USD
$50.00 USD
-------------------$7,000.00 USD
Future Projects - Our future plan for the Lower Omo Valley is to continue providing a
water source to the villages in the area. The same project in Korcho will be duplicated
with the other villages on the Omo River. The villages that are not located on the Omo
River will require us to drill a hole in the ground to reach water that can be manually
pumped to the surface by the people. Pumping water is a common practice in Africa and
the people in Africa are well familiar with this procedure to access water. The next
village will be that of the Hamar Tribe who require the drilling process in order to access
water. Photos of Hamar people can be seen in the photo section under Ethiopia- Hamar.
Budget for Future Projects
The cost to rent a hydraulic drilling truck for the operation to drill a hole in the ground will
vary from $7,000-$9,000 USD, depending on the depth required to reach the water
table. The cost of the pipe, manual pump, cement to install the pump and the cost of
labor will total approximately $1000.00 USD. Total per project is about $10,000 USD.
Drilling Procedure - A truck with a hydraulic drill will be rented and brought to the
location of the project. It will drill a hole from the top surface until it reaches water. The
distance required varies from 12-20 meters depending on how close the water table is
to the surface. The most effective locations to drill for water is in a dry river beds as
water can usually be found close to the surface. Finding water closer to the surface will
eliminate the need to drill deep which will save on the cost of the rental of the hydraulic
drill operation. At the same time, water tables found in dry river beds can provide a long
lasting source of water for the future. Once the water table has been tapped, a pipe is
run the distance of the hole and a manual pump is attached at the top of the pipe for the
people in the village to manually draw water up the pipe from the water source. A water
filtration system will be installed beside the manual pump for water that will be used for
drinking. To maximize on the distribution of water, the wells will be drilled in centralized
areas, accessible to a few villages. The pump will be strategically placed within 1-2 km
of villages that will be able to conveniently walk to the pumping station on a daily basis.
Omo Valley
The Omo Valley is known as Africa’s last frontier because Ethiopia holds the unique
status as the only African nation to have not been colonized by Europeans. This means
that the people living near the Omo River had largely escaped the colonial blundering
and conflict that shredded other societies. The tribes remained intact, migrating, warring
and making peace in ways that had vanished almost everywhere else. The Omo Valley
is a large desert with daily temperatures averaging over 43 C/110 F. The total population
of the Omo Valley is about 200,000 Ethiopians making up 11 tribes. These diverse and
interesting ethnic groups follow their own distinct life styles, customs, traditions, beliefs
and rituals. The southern part of the Omo Valley along the Omo River is known as the
‘poisoned paradise’. The landscape is beautiful but climactic conditions are simply too
hot and dry to be conducive to good health and longevity. Not surprising, people over 45
years old are a rarity in these parts and now with the increasingly worsening conditions,
the age continues to be lowered as survival for the Karo people becomes more difficult.
Tribes in Omo Valley: Banna, Bashada, Dizi, Suri, Mursi, Bodi, Kwegu and Nyangatoma
Omo River
The river is a lifeline to indigenous tribes of Omo Valley who depend on flood-recession
agriculture to survive. The 500 mile Omo River flows from the central highlands of
Ethiopia through gorges of volcanic rock and channels of ancient mud, pouring into
Kenya’s Lake Turkana. During August and September, flooding brings nutrient rich silt to
the valley. Just weeks after the seasonal floods, the river drops significantly, allowing the
tribes to plant sorghum and corn in the fertile mud. The Karo farmers pierce the dark
mud with sticks and drop in their seeds. It is a simple, ancient and little different from
what the Egyptians did along the Nile. If the floods are meager, the harvest is poor. The
annual flooding, not only helps farmers grow food but also replenish (renew) grazing
lands for herders’ livestock. A disturbing development is the recent construction of the
Gilgel Gibe III Dam, 320 miles up river from the Karo homeland. This is one of the
largest dams in the world and will generate hydro electric power to be sold to energystrapped neighbors such as Kenya and Sudan. Every year that the ongoing drought
continues, the river grows more exhausted and now, the dam will alter the river’s natural
cycles, both situations threatening food production downstream for the Karo people.
Village of Korcho
The village of Korcho is a cluster of sun bleached conical huts with goat pens and grain
cribs set on a bluff on the East bank of the Omo River. It is the first of the Karo villages
in the Karo region along the Omo River and the most commonly visited by tourist. The
current population of Korcho is about 400 people but dropping in numbers each month.
Photos of the village Korcho can be seen in the photo section under Ethiopia - Korcho.
The Karo Tribe
The Karo or Karonese, are the indigenous people of the Karo Plateau in Northern
Sumatra, Indonesia. They belong linguistically to the Batak people but often consider
themselves as separate. They speak the Batak-Karo language. Karo people, as with
other Bataks are mostly of the Christian religion brought to Sumatra in the 19th century
but an increasing number living away from the Karo highlands have converted to Islam.
The Karo tribe is part of the Omotic tribes living near the Omo River with a population of
about 1500 people. They are the smallest of the Omotic tribes and thought to be Omo
Valley’s most endangered group. They are surrounded by relatively wealthier and
stronger groups, in terms of cattle and population size. Cattle and goats are a family’s
most meaningful possession, but it is the crops, nourished by the Omo River, that
sustains the Karo people of Korcho. In the past, the Karo people were rich in cattle but
lost their wealth through the tse tse fly disease so now they have turned to agriculture.
The Omo River’s predictability allows the Karo people a life without the restless
movement of some of their neighbors whom must constantly drive their animals to new
pastures. Today, the main subsistence crops of the Karo are sorghum, corn and beans.
They are supplemented by bee-keeping and more recently fishing.The most striking
thing about the Karo people’s symbolic and ornamental expression is the painted body
and face decoration. They have differentiated themselves from neighboring tribes by
excelling in body painting. They are considered to be the masters of body painting.
Photos of the Karo tribe can be seen in the photo section under Ethiopia - Karo People.
There are many places in this world with poverty but few compare to
the unforgiving environment of the Omo Valley. Until recently, the
tribes have been barely surviving in the desert with temperatures
averaging over 100 F with little food, NO water, NO electricity, NO
medicine and NO basic supplies. But now, the time has come that
these people will not survive...because it hasn’t rained in 5 years!
Without rain, the rivers and lakes are drying up, so the water and fish
supply are disappearing; the ground is too dry for anything to grow, so
there is NO food to feed the people or their livestock. Drought and
Famine have come back again to Ethiopia.
It is difficult to believe that people still live this way? The Ethiopian
government knows of the Karo people’s desperate situation, as does
the outside world, but nothing changes because nobody comes to this
forgotten land to help them. The time has come for us to make a direct
and lasting difference in the lives of the Karo people at Korcho.
Without our help, they are facing extinction!
Movie: ‘The Karo People - Village Tour’. This documentary can be watched in the
website link to www.truemyeyesproductions.com. The video will give the opportunity
to see the Karo village of Korcho, where the first project will be done in the Omo Valley.
Prepared by Selim F. Ozcan