Fair Future Foundation and Rotary International Collaborate to Address Clean Water and Health Issues in Hambarita, East Sumba. Through the #WaterConnections Program, We Aim to Dig a Deep Well, Improve Sanitation, and Enhance Health and Education for the Isolated Village.
Access to clean water in Hambarita means healthier lives, better education, and a brighter future. Together, we can transform this village and offer hope to its residents.
Last April, in collaboration with five members of the Rotary International, we visited Hambarita, one of the most isolated and inaccessible villages in East Sumba. Over the past two years, the Fair Future Foundation has been working to improve the living conditions of hundreds of people living in extreme poverty, including children and adults. The reality of Hambarita is striking: residents have no access to clean water and rely on a few litres of rainwater for drinking, cooking, and washing. The water tanks are worn and leaky, allowing contaminated water to escape.
We proposed to the villagers that they collaborate with us to preserve and improve their daily lives. As part of the #WaterConnections program, we plan to dig a deep well to provide a source of clean water. We have already identified the drilling site, and the villagers are ready to work hand in hand to improve their living conditions. The lack of electricity further complicates the situation. Snakes often bite people, but on this day in the village of Hambarita, Alex saved a 23-year-old man thanks to the Primary Medical Care he gave him.
The only available water source, a Kullup – a hole in the rock collecting rainwater – is now dry. Hambarita no longer has access to any water source. Families suffer from malnutrition and infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, dysentery, and polio. They cannot wash, worsening their sanitary conditions.
To improve the situation, we must work with Rotary International and all of you. Access to clean water in villages like Hambarita means more than just hydration. It would allow drinking clean, healthy water, diversifying and improving diets, cultivating vegetable gardens for fresh produce, and reducing illnesses.
For children, this translates to better concentration in school, optimal learning conditions, and the ability to walk without injury on rugged paths. A healthy diet is crucial for thinking, learning, and developing. Together, we can transform Hambarita, offer a better life to its inhabitants, and build a more promising future.
We cordially invite all captivated by this story to explore our photo gallery, witness this extraordinary effort, and further engage with our mission through our Instagram account.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – the 12 of July 2024