The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is set to begin in June a one-year project that will improve access to safe drinking water for approximately 13,500 people in nine villages in the Maritime region of Togo.

Funded by the ADRA United Kingdom office for US$118,000, the project will provide access points for clean water, create local water committees to manage the new water sources, and educate beneficiaries on improved health and hygiene practices.

"Safe drinking water is simply not accessible to many rural villages in the Maritime region. It is common for the same water source to be used for drinking, bathing, and washing," says Todd Reese, country director for ADRA Togo. "In some villages, women and girls spend hours each day walking to their water source, which limits their educational opportunities," Reese adds.

According to the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF), West Africa has the lowest coverage of drinking water in the world and the situation is getting worse. A recent report by the African Development Bank states that only 56 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa have access to improved drinking water sources.

The health and hygiene education component of the project will empower village members to improve and safeguard their health. "Educating rural populations about basic health, hygiene, and proper sanitation is the foundation of ADRA Togo’s work and a critical element to every project we implement," says Reese.

ADRA has been present in Togo since 1988 and is known for its work in the Maritime region. The agency’s Women’s Empowerment projects, which have focused on improving the lives of rural Togolese women, are also some of its longest-running. Other projects focus on microcredit loans, rural health, and HIV and AIDS awareness and education. Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not considered bankable.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.