Airdrie City View

Covy Moore

Six-year-old Mikiyas Hatton of Airdrie has raised about $21,000 to build a well in Toniya, which is located in southern Ethiopia. He is just shy of his goal of $25,000, the number that will trigger a $50,000 Canadian grant to help build a water system in the nation currently crippled by drought.

Local boy raises money for clean drinking water in Ethiopia

Aug 05, 2011 06:00 am | Trevor Bacque

Airdrie’s Mikiyas Hatton is compelled to aid his home country of Ethiopia to secure clean water for its people.

The six-year-old boy was adopted by Airdrie couple Sheri and Lyle Hatton in May of 2007.

Two years ago, Hatton was watching television with Lyle when he saw a program about the poor water conditions in the East African country.

“I was watching TV and I saw someone picking up dirty water with mud in it,” said Hatton. “I said ‘dad, we need to help those kids’ and that’s how it started. I was non-stop. I asked 100 times.”

A few months later in December, the family attended a dinner function for Hope International, a not-for-profit international development agency. Hatton heard a presenter tell the audience two out of five children in Ethiopia will die due to unsanitary drinking water.

“When you think about the drought (now), thousands of people are dying,” said Sheri.

Now, two years after beginning his journey, Hatton is nearing his goal of clean water for the village of Toniya in the Bonke district of southern Ethiopia.

As of July 2, he has raised about $21,000 towards his goal of $25,000 to build a well in Toniya. Once those funds are in place, the government of Canada will provide an additional $50,000 in grants for the project. The well will also employ and empower local villagers who will help with the installation of the new water system and learn new skills.

Funding has come from friends and family and the Hattons have also put aside funds each month for the project.

When Sheri discovered her adopted son was interested in giving back, she wasn’t surprised.  “He has always been filled with compassion for children,” she said. “If there’s a child crying, he goes to them. He has the heart.”  Hatton would even go so far as to give away Christmas toys away and had birthday parties where gifts would go directly to Ethiopian kids.

The family also supports international aid projects in Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The couple is currently in the process of adopting a daughter, also from Ethiopia.

Hatton and Lyle will be speaking about the project at the Afrikadey Celebration in Calgary, Aug. 12. The speaking engagement is at the Calgary Public Library, 606 MacLeod Trail S.E.

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Only a few mistakes, but a great article nonetheless.  The water project is completed in Toniya, it isn't a well, which is why it costs so much and Lyle was shocked to hear that he will apparently be speaking at the Symposium.  I told him I'd even let him prepare the presentation this weekend but he wasn't too impressed by my suggestion.  I do have to say though, it really does look so much better in the paper than online.  And the story is even listed on the front page!  Out of the three interviews, this is the first one to make me cry.  I'm such a proud mother!  Thank you CityView for doing such an awesome job.