‘Life’s Good: Hope Village Project’ intends to improve the lives of people in slum areas of Gulelle and Yeka Sub Cities in Addis Ababa through housing and WASH Interventions. With support from LG Electronics and Community Chest of Korea the project targets families and individuals who have been affected by poverty related problems- lack of housing, safe water, and proper sanitation facilities in crowded informal settlements.
The families suffer from unsanitary living environment which expose them to communicable diseases caused by poor hygiene and sanitation. Some families lead life with fear of being evicted from government owned and private rented houses. Constructed from temporary materials, most of the houses are old and deteriorated with little or no maintenance. The project was designed to mitigate these challenges and improve the wellbeing of vulnerable families and individuals including Korean War Vetera
ns. Priority was given to women who have no income, girls and boys affected by poverty and persons with disabilities who live in substandard housing without water and sanitation facilities.
The three-year project helps more than 14,900 families move to new houses, start to use safe water, improved sanitation, and have better awareness in hygiene. Drainage ditches constructed by Habitat Ethiopia to manage liquid waste changes the residential area to clean playground for children and reduces health problems. Separate latrines have been constructed for school girls and boys with water tap for hand wash.
Capacity building and creating job opportunities for young people in the two sub cities is also a vital component of the project. Young people selected from the two sub-cities received training in computer and electronics in coordination with World Together LG-KOICA HOPE TVET COLLEGE. Habitat Ethiopia has worked with government offices on job placement for the young people who completed the training.
Active participation of the community members and partner families contribute to the successful implementation of the project. Community members attended hygiene training and partner families participate in all parts of the project throughout implementation Period.
