In Burundi, water-borne illnesses are a leading cause of death.
The danger comes from preventable diseases that are nearly nonexistent in the United States - cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. According to the World Health Organization, the problem is further compounded by the lack of clean water in health care facilities: 38% of the lack an improved water source, and 35% lack water and soap for proper handwashing.
In the face of these sobering statistics, the Gazelle Foundation set to work installing clean water systems in communities. Clean water creates a foundation of good health, which has far-reaching consequences.
Dr. Thomas Byrd is based in Texas and serves as a medical advisor for Cornerstone Clinic in Bukuye, Burundi. “The lack of clean water is the root cause of the bulk of disease there. What the Gazelle Foundation is doing in Africa is absolutely a game-changer,” he said. “My work as a physician would be unneeded if clean water were available.”
Clean water is not easily accessible in the mountainous terrain and rural sections of Burundi, where most of the population lives. Consequently, 100% of Burundians in these areas are affected by water-borne illnesses which lead to typhoid, hepatitis A, schistosomiasis, bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, and death. However, in areas where we have installed clean water systems, local health centers report a dramatic decrease in diseases and a significant improvement in overall health.
Levis Bizindavyi has seen a dramatic reduction in water-borne illnesses with the completion of the Gazelle Foundation water project in his clinic: now, he says, “of 100 people examined, only 15 people have diseases caused by dirty water.”
In Horezo, Dr. Ndizeye has also noticed a decrease in the prevalence of water-borne illnesses in his clinic - from 76% down to 11%. Anecdotally, he says that parents are reporting fewer incidences of diarrhea and worms in their children. He estimates that clean water saves the lives of three children per month in this clinic alone.
Since partnering with local communities in Burundi, the Gazelle Foundation has built water systems that provide critical access to clean water thereby saving lives and transforming entire villages.
Community members celebrate at a Gazelle Foundation tap stand where they can now fetch clean water much closer to home. The Gazelle Foundation’s water systems distribute clean water throughout a community with multiple tap stands, so no one has to walk very far to retrieve clean water.