For the community of Weltayi Kubsa Kebele in Bale Goba, daily life once included an exhausting 3-kilometer trek up a mountain to fetch water from the Hululicho Spring. Located at 10,000 feet above sea level, the journey to the spring is now a thing of the past.

In May 2017, the Ethiopian Fiscal Year, COWASH IV constructed a 3km piped line from the spring to the village, bringing safe water supply directly to the community. The new system, which includes a spring capping structure, a reservoir and two community water points, provides a reliable water supply for 475 people from 97 households. This initiative is a vital step toward a healthier and more productive future for the community.

The Hululicho spring is also one of two pilot sites for the COWASH IV’s Green Legacy Initiative, which addresses climate and environmental risks. The program, which started in February 2025, complements the project’s Water Safety Planning efforts.

The COWASH IV team conducted a follow-up visit on August 12 and 13 to the Bale Goba and Dinsho Woredas to monitor the Green Legacy initiative’s progress. The team met with Woreda administrators, partner office heads and technical experts to discuss the initiative’s implementation and sustainability.

In both Woredas, land for tree planting had already been prepared. In Goba, the COWASH team helped transport around 1,000 trees prepared by the Office of Agriculture to the piloting site. The team, along with Woreda technical experts, visited the site in Weltayi Kubsa Kebele, at the upper Hululicho Spring, where the team provided on-the-job training to community members and WASH Committee members on the importance of integrating the Green Legacy Initiative with water supply efforts. The team also along with the WASHCO members planted indigenous trees just upstream of the spring source to help ensure the water’s sustainability for years to come.