Fatuma Yusuf Ibrahim is a 35-year-old mother of five children. Fatuma’s family was forced to flee their home in the Bardale Bay Region because of a long-standing water shortage, which was exacerbated by a lack of rain.

She explained that most of their animals died and the remaining ones were unable to walk all the way from Bardale for water, which forced them to abandon their pastoral life and join this IDP camp in Bulla Ajuran. Still, the family had to walk approximately four hours from their camp every day to fetch water for their basic daily needs.

When Fatuma and her friends went to the river, she stated, “we used to get afraid, therefore we were compelled to walk in groups for safety reasons.”

ASEP, in collaboration with Archenova and PAH, and with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), built a well at Malkariyay to address the issue of water access. The well was connected to a reservoir tank and the water from this well is pumped into this reservoir from this reservoir water is pumped to an elevated 9m tank through a solar-powered generator, which makes collecting water easier and more affordable.

Following the installation of affordable water at her residence, Fatuma’s dream came true: “I can declare without reservation that this water project has made a significant difference in the quality of our lives.