28 Jan 2012

ANGOLA / SAFE WATER

Only around 50 percent of Angolans have access to clean drinking water and 57 per cent use improved sanitation facilities. After 27 years of civil war, the government has made rebuilding the country’s infrastructure its top priority. Despite the visible development taking place – a result of its vast oil wealth, it’s evident that Angola is still lagging behind in its human development indicators. UNICEF

Posted at: January 28, 2012 12:01 am

Duration: 04:25

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: ANGOLA / SAFE WATER 
TRT: 4:25
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: none
LANGUAGES: PORTUGUESE / ENGLISH / NATS
 
DATELINE: 25 -30 SEPTEMBER 2011
 
SHOTLIST:
 
1. Wide shot, Beatriz da Encarnação fetching water
2. Close up, water coming out of tap
3. Wide shot, Beatriz da Encarnação fetching water
4. Wide shot, house
5. Wide shot, Beatriz da Encarnação carrying bucket of ice cream
6. Med shot, Beatriz opening bucket
7. Close up, traditional ice cream
8. Wide shot, Beatriz da Encarnação carrying bucket of ice cream into house.
9. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Beatriz da Encarnação, Matala Resident, 29 years old:
"It has changed a lot.  Now we have water at home.  Before housework was a bit delayed, because of transporting water.  But now with water at home, now a person can wash at home."
10. Wide shot, women walking next to canal
11. Close up, women walking next to canal
12. Wide shot, water plant in Matala with UNICEF and EU logos
13. Wide shot, Nglofi Luis and grandchildren at tap
14. Close up, boy washing his head under tap
15. SOUNDBITE (English) João Stattmiller Neves, Regional Programme Officer UNICEF:
"It's a bit innovative because instead of the usual pump that we install and people go to the pump with their buckets. To get water in this case we took water to the people's houses."
16. Wide shot, boy going to fill up  his cup at tap
17. Med shot, boy turning tap
18. Close up, hand of boy turning tap
19. Close up, boy drinking water
20. Med shot, Nglofi Luis
21. Wide shot, Nglofi Luis with grandchildren
22. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Nglofi Luis, 72 years old:
 "When they put the taps, that water is much better because for us there was a lot of illnesses, diahorrea and other things. There has not been diahorrea like there used to be."
23. Wide shot, women turning water wheel
24. Med shot, women turning water wheel
25. Close up, woman turning water wheel
26. Close up, tap
27. Pan right, filthy water area and people washing themselves
28. Wide shot, tank, soldier and woman and child walking
29. Wide shot, railway line
30. Med shot, railway line
31. Wide shot, Luanda bay
32. Wide shot, children filling up buckets
33. Med shot, children filling up buckets
34. SOUNDBITE (English) Javier Puyol, Head of EU Delegation to Angola:
"It's a country which needs support in a number of areas. Maybe not in terms of physical investment, it's not that US western partners are coming here to build the roads and the bridges and harbours, they don't need us for that. But I think they need foreign support still in terms of capacity building in order to reform and improve the systems, to improve governance, to organize the next elections. In all these areas which sometimes don't require a lot of financial investment I think the Angolans are more and more aware that they would need some support from countries which are at a more advanced level of development."
35. Wide shot, Luanda Bay
36. Med shot of Luanda Bay
37. Wide shot, ship
38. Close up, Building sign
39. Med shot people in line
40. Med shot, woman in line
41. Wide shot, rubbish area
42. Close up, rubbish area
43. Tilt up, girl being washed by her mother under tap
44. Tilt up, girl being washed by her mother under tap
45. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Abel da Costa Director of Water and Energy, Huila Province:
"The investments that my government has per sector, are limited.  And we have a large population to attend to.  If the European Union could finance more water programmes, more projects for water, besides UNICEF, for us it would be good. Because, aside from that, we would more easily and more quickly take people out of the precarious situation in which they still live…Besides the financing, the government is going to get there.  But we would take a long time. "
46. Wide shot, woman washing clothes
47. Med shot, woman washing clothes
48. Med shot, woman
49. Med shot, children in water
50. Med shot, men with donkey cart
51. Med shot, man working on water buckets
52. Close up, woman washing
53. Med shot, woman washing
54. Med shot, women washing
55. Wide shot, railway line
56. Med shot, railway line
57. Close up, tap running into bucket
58. Med shot, kids drinking at tap
59. Med shot, kids drinking at tap

STORYLINE:
 
Beatriz da Encarnação is fetching water to make her latest batch of traditional ice cream. Made from the fruit of a baobab tree, it must brew for a few days before it is ready to be sold.

The profits of each batch of gelato go towards buying food and clothes for her three children.

A few years ago, earning extra income from selling ice cream would have been impossible. Just fetching water to drink was a challenge.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Beatriz da Encarnação, Matala Resident, 29 years old:
"It has changed a lot.  Now we have water at home.  Before housework was a bit delayed, because of transporting water.  But now with water at home, now a person can wash at home."

The taps are part of a water distribution project implemented by the government of Angola in partnership with the European Union and UNICEF.

The program currently services some ten thousand people in the Municipality of Matala in the province of Huila.

SOUNDBITE (English) João Stattmiller Neves, Regional Program Officer, UNICEF:
"It's a bit innovative because instead of the usual pump that we install and people go to the pump with their buckets. To get water in this case we took water to the people's houses."

Aside from the economic benefits this system has transformed the health of this community.

72 year old Nglofi Luis remembers when diseases like Cholera and diahorrea plagued his village. This is no more.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Nglofi Luis, 72 years old:
"When they put the taps, that water is much better because for us there was a lot of illnesses, diahorrea and other things.  There has not been diahorrea like there used to be."

But this community is the exception rather than the norm.

Only half of Angolans have access to clean drinking water and only around 57 per cent use improved sanitation facilities.

After 27 years of civil war, the government has made rebuilding the country's infrastructure its top priority.

Despite the visible development taking place, a result of its vast oil wealth, it's evident that Angola is still lagging behind in its human development indicators.

SOUNDBITE (English) Javier Puyol, Head of EU Delegation to Angola:
"It's a country which needs support in a number of areas. Maybe not in terms of physical investment, its not that us western partners are coming here to build the roads or the bridges or the harbours or the railways, they don't need us for that. But I think they need foreign support still in terms of capacity building in order to reform and improve the systems which sometimes don't require a lot of financial investment I think the Angolans are more and more aware that they would need some support from countries which are at a more advanced level of development."

Rebuilding a country from scratch is no easy task. And for a while longer, it will need the support of the international community.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Abel da Costa Director of Water and Energy, Huila Province:
"The investments that my government has per sector are limited. And we have a large population to attend to.  If the European Union could finance more water programmes besides UNICEF, for us it would be good. Because, aside from that, we would more easily and more quickly take people out of the precarious situation in which they still live…Besides the financing, the government is going to get there. But it will take a long time."

For Angola to improve its human development record, it will certainly require massive investment in infrastructure and human capital.

But it will do well to remember that while a project like this Matala water distribution initiative may be small, it proves the model works, while making a life-changing impact for thousands of people in the process.