doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation, in partnership with CHOICE Humanitarian Nepal, is nearing completion on a water supply project in the Makawanpur District of Nepal.
The project will help reduce the impacts of deforestation, which severely damaged local water supplies, and includes the construction of water tanks and laying pipeline in order to serve approximately 500 households, or about 2,500 people. Hundreds of residents ages 14 to 86 have volunteered time, alongside doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation volunteers, to help with the construction and digging trenches.
“It has been wonderful to work alongside the people of Makawanpur District to provide the community access to clean drinking water,” said Greg Cook, doTERRA founding executive. “Greater access to a reliable source of water, along with hygiene instruction, is enhancing sanitation and contributing to the community’s ability to wash hands regularly to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the global pandemic and other diseases. It also is saving time for women and children who previously had to walk long distances for water and improving accessibility of water for agriculture and livestock.”
The water supply project is based on local ownership. Every house benefiting from the service will have metered water supply and pay based on the amount of water they use. The money collected for water services will go towards maintenance and periodic system repair.
“The community used to have plenty of drinking water, but deforestation dried up sources and resulted in dire shortage,” said Prateek Sharma, in-country director for CHOICE Humanitarian Nepal. “Lack of access to clean water resulted in a lot of social disharmony. It is wonderful to see that discord dissipate throughout this project as the community comes together to end the crisis that has been affecting it for many years.”
