Stories from
Big Surprise in Congo Yasika
Alphonsine has lived in Lubiriha, North Kivu, for her entire life. She has seen the town grow and change over the years, but one thing has always stayed the same. Alphonsine has never had access to water that is safe to drink.
“We have always had water here, but it isn’t safe water,” she says. “I have six children, and one of them is always sick. My youngest has had malaria and diarrhoea, and she is malnourished.”
In Lubiriha, people collect rainwater or walk, sometimes for hours, to collect water from a river. Waterborne diseases spread quickly here. Cholera outbreaks occur almost every year.
In 2015, Medair was providing health support to a clinic in Lubiriha when a particularly virulent outbreak of cholera struck. Once the outbreak was controlled, Medair and UNICEF worked together to find a long-term solution to the cholera problem for the community. The first step was to meet with community members and ask for their advice about where to build the water points. Once we had their input, we began drilling.
Our aim was to provide 6,000 people with safe water ̶ but then we started drilling in a neighbourhood called Congo Yasika.
"Congo Yasika was a very big surprise. The source of water underground could supply a lot more water than we thought." Thomas Simon, Medair relief worker
"I think we can agree that this is a big success. We have succeeded in reducing the scourge of cholera, which every year has affected women, children-the entire population of Lubiriha." Chinook Terrier, UNICEF representative
That safe water has already made a huge difference to Alphonsine. “When we started taking the water from the water point Medair installed, everything got better,” she says. “My youngest child is healthy now. All of my children are.”
