Housebuilder provides clean water to world’s poorest communities
A community in Togo will have access to clean water and toilets thanks to support from the Edenstone Foundation worth almost £30,000.
The funding, announced ahead of World Water Day (March 22), will help create a new toilet block with showers and handwashing facilities.
And it means 208 children and their families in Kpoguede, in the Haho region of the West African country, can look forward to a safer and healthier future.
It’s an extension of a partnership between the Edenstone Foundation and international children’s charity Compassion, with the funding coming from the sale of new homes in South Wales and the South West of England by the Edenstone Group.
Chris Edge, from the Edenstone Foundation, said: “In the UK, clean water is something that we take for granted with the turn of a tap, but World Water Day reminds us that many of the poorest countries still don’t have access to this most basic of provisions.
“We’ve helped Compassion with funding to improve conditions in Togo in the past, and we’re keen to help to give even more people access to clean and safe water. It will mean families can live without fear of awful illnesses and children no longer have to miss school because of walking miles to collect dirty water and can instead focus on their education and, simply, being children.”
Compassion, the Edenstone Foundation’s only overseas partner, will receive £29,180 to help provide clean water and sanitation in Kpoguede.
Currently, the main water sources in Kpoguede are exposed wells or rivers which are contaminated by sewage from animal and human waste. Yet such unsafe water, and poor sanitation practices, expose families to illnesses like diarrhoea, anaemia, skin infections and typhoid.
With the Edenstone Foundation funding, a solar-powered borehole will be used to source clean water, after which a water tank will be installed to collect and store water. A toilet block will be built for the Kpoguede child development centre, plus staff will train the children and those who care for them in safe water management and good hygiene.
This is the latest project funded by the Foundation, which receives a proportion of the proceeds of every home sold by the Edenstone Group to support communities and causes that help change lives.
Previous support overseas included a similar scheme for almost 250 children and their families in Kpele, and Compassion’s Different Path Appeal to help mothers and babies with improved access to antenatal check-ups and trained birth attendants, and more.
Clare Hartley, from Compassion UK, said: “We are confident that this intervention in Togo will greatly improve the lives of 208 Compassion-supported children and their families. The lack of adequate sanitation and safe water access is one of the greatest challenges that children in poverty face.
“By removing these barriers, the children will be able to focus on their education, giving them the opportunity to create a future free from poverty.By investing in water and sanitation solutions now, we are removing a future burden for parents and bringing hope of a brighter future for the Kpoguede community.”
The Edenstone Group, headquartered in Magor, is currently building and selling homes across South Wales and the South West of England including Lisvane, Ross-on-Wye, and Morriston under the Bluebell Homes and Edenstone Homes brands.
