Dessalegn Olkeba Furi

Professional Summary

Dessalegn Olkeba Furi is a distinguished Ethiopian Senior Hydrogeologist, WASH programme leader and water-supply professional with more than 19 years of progressive technical and management experience. His career combines advanced groundwater science, civil engineering, humanitarian leadership and environmental-health practice, enabling him to guide water projects from initial investigation and design through construction, quality assurance, community mobilisation and sustainable operation. He has held senior responsibilities with Action Against Hunger, SNV Ethiopia, HUNDEE Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative, Save the Children International and the Oromia Water, Mineral and Energy Bureau. Across these organisations, he has led multidisciplinary teams, coordinated with government institutions and development partners, supervised boreholes, pumping systems, pipelines, reservoirs, sanitation facilities and health-centre WASH infrastructure, and delivered donor-compliant programmes in complex and resource-constrained environments. His ability to connect hydrogeological evidence, engineering design, programme leadership and community ownership makes him an exceptional contributor to sustainable groundwater development, climate-resilient water services and equitable access to safe water in Ethiopia and across Africa.

Key Expertise

Major Projects and Contributions

• Senior Environmental Health Officer – Action Against Hunger, Assosa
  Directed ECHO- and BHA-supported WASH interventions across the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, delivering water supply, sanitation, hygiene promotion and environmental-health services. Supervised water points, health-facility WASH systems, VIP latrines, pipelines and storage structures while ensuring compliance with Sphere, WHO, UNICEF and Ethiopian technical standards.
• Regional Water and Irrigation Engineer – SNV Transform WASH Programme
  Provided regional technical leadership for rural water-supply development across Oromia under the Transform WASH programme. Directed borehole, pumping-system, transmission-pipeline, reservoir and distribution-network activities while leading contractor management, technical evaluation, construction supervision and infrastructure quality assurance.
• Area Office Manager and WASH System Coordinator – HUNDEE
  Led the Jimma area office and coordinated WASH, emergency-response and organisational programmes. Managed multidisciplinary teams, implementing partners, government stakeholders, monitoring systems, reporting processes and operational resources across multiple concurrent activities.
• WASH Programme Manager – Save the Children International
  Led water-supply, sanitation, hygiene-promotion and community-engagement programmes across operational sites in and around Nekemte. Directed technical supervision, partner coordination, work planning, monitoring and preparation of technical and donor reports.
• Emergency WASH Programme Leadership – Action Against Hunger, Wollega and Gimbi
  Directed emergency water-supply, sanitation and hygiene interventions in the Wollega and Gimbi operational area. Supervised technical teams and maintained compliance with humanitarian, donor and organisational quality standards in a challenging operational environment.
• Senior Hydrogeologist – Oromia Water, Mineral and Energy Bureau
  Led groundwater investigations, borehole-site assessment, drilling supervision and hydrogeological studies across Oromia. Conducted and supervised geophysical investigations using Vertical Electrical Sounding and electrical-resistivity methods and provided professional advice on groundwater-resource development and management.
• Groundwater Exploration and Sustainable Borehole Development
  Applied geology, hydrogeology and geophysics to identify groundwater resources, evaluate aquifer conditions, select borehole sites, supervise drilling and pumping tests, interpret groundwater potential and support sustainable rural and urban water-supply development.
• WASH Harmonisation, Technical Quality and Capacity Development
  Designed and delivered WASH harmonisation training for technical teams, WASH officers, volunteers, WASH committees and government counterparts. Strengthened engineering-design criteria, infrastructure QA/QC, water-quality monitoring, operation and maintenance, community ownership and long-term service sustainability.
• Water-Supply Engineering and Infrastructure Delivery
  Planned, designed and supervised boreholes, pumping systems, transmission pipelines, reservoirs, distribution networks, water points and rehabilitation works. Applied water-demand assessment, pump selection, hydraulic analysis, BOQ preparation, cost estimation and technical drawing to support reliable and climate-resilient water services.
• Humanitarian WASH Coordination and Donor Compliance
  Managed programme planning, budgeting, procurement forecasting, burn-rate monitoring, technical reporting and compliance for humanitarian and development interventions supported by ECHO, BHA and other partners. Coordinated effectively with regional and woreda offices, NGOs, consortium members, contractors and communities.