POWERING UP - FINALIST
ETHIOPIA

Some eight hours' drive from the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa is the small community of Yayee. The surrounding countryside is a far cry from Ethiopia's stereotypical image: lush green pastures interwoven with rivers and streams. But this idyllic appearance is deceptive. Until the 1990s, political and economic marginalisation had rendered Yayee one of the poorest communities in Ethiopia.

At the overthrow of the Marxist regime in 1991, just 23 percent of Yayee's children were attending school and the community had no medical facilities whatsoever. It was then that the people of Yayee decided to help themselves to a better standard of life. Having seen the benefits of hydropower in other villages, they were keen to harness a local waterfall to bring 24-hour electricity to the community.

This was achieved with help from the local government and funds from Ireland's development assistance department. But the people of Yayee provided much of the funding - and did most of the hard work - themselves. Technical support for the German-built turbine has come from a local-born civil engineer. In boosting the villagers' confidence and know-how, the dam has laid the groundwork for several other infrastructure projects - a school building, a health centre and a water-supply system.