El Essbaia Community Drinking Well, South Sinai

Description

El Essbaia is a small community lying 10 km below the village of St Katherine's. The community is supplied with a limited amount of water, but this can only be used for washing or animals; drinking it makes the children ill.

Since their old drinking well dried up a year ago the villagers have had to buy jerry cans of drinking water from St Katherine's, at great expense.

One of the village elders, Mousa, has used his own funds to dig a new well nearby, but this too dried up after six months. The villagers have appealed to the Makhad Trust for help to dig out the well so that it is five metres deeper.

Purpose

To provide El Essbaia with safe and inexpensive drinking water

To support a community elder

To encourage the community

Beneficiaries

15 families (70 individuals) in the immediate area and possibly 20 more families from a neighbouring community.

Project Work

The Makhad Trust project work will be to oversee the funding and work on the well and to liase with the village community. The community will provide some of the funding themselves.

Partners

Mousa Abu Massad and El Essbaia community.

Current Status

Work on the well began in July 2008.

El Essbaia