Dear Friends at LELBA,

Thank you for your generosity.

In 2016, you made a substantial investment to support charity: water's mission in Ethiopia as an official Water Project Sponsor. Now, we couldn't be more excited to share the attached Completion Report, detailing your incredible impact. 100% of your generous donation funded one hand-dug well for 200 people. Over the last 30 years, people in Ethiopia have suffered greatly due to both political unrest, and increasingly unpredictable climate change. And, as often happens in developing countries, the people who are hit the hardest live in the poorest, most isolated regions-places where securing the basic necessities of life is a daily struggle for more than 82 million people.

Currently home to more than 7,419 charity: water projects, Ethiopia is our flagship program and a country very near and dear to our hearts. Your investment was part of a $3.6 million grant that funded a total of 356 clean water projects in the Tigray region, where our team is working toward a vision of complete water coverage.

Our local partner, The Relief Society of Tigray (REST), invests in the longevity of each project through a unique circuit rider, post-implementation support program. Post-construction, REST sends their mechanics along designated routes to ensure all charity: water-funded water points are visited at least once a year. And any time a system is down, their team arrives onsite to assist local community members with repairs. REST also evaluates their programs in order to understand the impact clean water has on communities. In a recent monitoring study, they reported that not only has the amount of water collected per person increased by 87%, but the length of time it takes to get it has decreased by half! Most importantly, 100% of the 157,302 people living in the surveyed districts now have access to an improved, safe water source.

I've been working as a Water Programs Officer for charity: water for four years, overseeing our partnership, implementation strategy, and grants in Ethiopia (and actually lived there for four years before that). During these years, it's been an immense privilege to witness-firsthand-how life-changing clean water truly is for those in need. I'm honored to present you with this Completion Report, and to introduce you to a few of the lives you've changed. Thank you for your overwhelming generosity, which brings our mission to life and provides hope to our beneficiaries.

Sincerely,

Noah McColl

Water Programs Officer, charity: water