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Below The Surface

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Below the Surface(c) was founded to provide clean drinking water throughout rural Ethiopia after noticing severe gaps in sustainability.

Research indicated these gaps were rooted in a cultural  disconnect between those implementing projects and those who had to live with them (with the average life cycle of water systems in rural Ethiopia failing within 1-5 years).


The project location is in Ambentu, a remote area inaccessible by car in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.
The community is home to over thousands of people that walk up to 5 miles daily to consume contaminated water. This water leads to diseases that stagnate opportunties for social mobility.

In order to determine the water peak demands of the community, analyze the soil composition, design the system, and ensure the solution exceeds water quality standards, a feasbility study must be conducted. Following the study, we can then implement the solution.

Below the Surface's solution is to design and construct a drilled-well water system to access water from aquifers beneath the ground, purify the groundwater for drinking, and setup the required piping system throughout the location for distribution.

After the construction phase, begins the final and most important step of the project--sustainability. Below the Surface aims to develop a system for ownership and maintenance with the trust and active involvement of the community. The system will leverage the diversity of the team and its strong cultural, family roots in Ethiopia for this key step.

This is where Below the Surface stands out.

When a project is impacting your family and friends, it adds another layer of trust and closeness. In fact, Ambentu is just a few miles from the birthplace of our Vice President. This inside perspective of growing up in a community builds an indescribable understanding of its needs and helps ensure the project lasts. 

The Below the Surface team met the Ambentu community for the first time during our December trip. After visiting and interviewing several other locations in Oromia ,including itaaya and Urgessa, Ambentu was selected based on potential impact and available resources.

Donations would cover the feasibility study, all materials associated with the drilled-well water system, labor costs, travel costs, and water quality testing. When successful this project wil change the living conditions and future of an entire community. 

Our project deadline is December 18th, 2018, which is when we will begin project work and deliver donations in person to the construction team and water council for the region.

We are confident that with strong communtiy support we can shatter the goal.

To learn more about us check our website out at www.belowsurface.org
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Donations 

  • Prentice Phillips
    • $50 
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer

Jetuwr Davis
Organizer
Columbus, OH

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