“Water is the source of life. Many villages in Tajikistan still lack safe drinking water and I, on behalf of the Swiss Government, am very happy that we could help the Tajik people gain access to this valuable commodity,”- said Walburga Roos, Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan, during her opening speech.

The people of three villages in Rudaki suffered from a severe shortage of safe drinking water, resulting in the spread of waterborne diseases, especially among children. In order to address these challenges, the Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS) project, implemented by OXFAM Great Britain, closely worked with the local government and community members to improve access to potable water and improve health and hygiene in their own villages.

Now every household of these communities has access to clean water right in their courtyards. Before, the problem with water supply complicated people’s lives as women and children often had to walk several kilometers to carry water home. This prevented the women from spending their time doing more lucrative work and the children from doing their homework.

During his speech to the audience, Karimi, the chairman of the district said: “We have a famous Tajik proverb: There is no prosperity without water. Everything is in your hands now. Only you, as a local resident can improve your life by maintaining and caring about the system and closely collaborating with your local government.”

The “Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation” (TaJWSS) project is funded by SDC and implemented by Oxfam in Tajikistan, in partnership with UNDP Dushanbe office, for the period 2014-2018.

For more information please visit: ww.tajwss.tj