People eating hard-to-digest wild plants out of desperation, farmland without a single green stalk, emaciated animals unable to find a watering hole, families taking their malnourished children to the hospital - what our employees and our local partner organizations are reporting from East Africa is dramatic.
Water scarcity and food insecurity
The Horn of Africa is being hit by the worst drought in almost 40 years. Particularly affected are the drylands, where the majority of people live from farming and livestock. But internally displaced people and communities that have hosted them are also struggling with water shortages and food insecurity. The United Nations is appealing for urgent support for those affected by drought in East African countries.
In view of the acute crisis in the Horn of Africa, arche noVa has already started with additional emergency aid in April. In Ethiopia, for example, our local partner organization OWDA distributes WASH kits to families who are on the run in their own country due to various crises. These include water canisters, buckets, chemicals for water treatment, soap and sanitary towels.
Another focus of our humanitarian aid is water supply. This includes water deliveries by tanker truck and rapid repairs to existing water systems. Since April, our local partner organizations in Kenya and Somalia have been distributing water by tanker truck. In twelve villages in the Gedo region of Somalia, more than 10,000 people are thus receiving a minimum quantity of 7.5 liters per day. Another 30,000 people are gaining access to water through the rehabilitation of existing wells.
In our project regions, this once again demonstrates the importance of investing in water infrastructure and building a resilient society. Thanks to our projects, a number of communities continue to have access to water.
Mathias Anderson, arche noVa Another focus of our humanitarian aid is water supply. This includes water deliveries by tanker truck and rapid repairs to existing water systems. Since April, our local partner organizations in Kenya and Somalia have been distributing water by tanker truck. In twelve villages in the Gedo region of Somalia, more than 10,000 people are thus receiving a minimum quantity of 7.5 liters per day. Another 30,000 people are gaining access to water through the rehabilitation of existing wells.
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Emergency aid and longer-term projects important
Another example of effective emergency aid is the work of our local partner organisation in Somalia. They are making sure that urgently needed pumping systems are up and running again. Numerous communities have been unable to operate their systems at a time when there is a water shortage because fuel prices have skyrocketed as a result of the war in Ukraine. Many communities are therefore receiving fuel as an emergency measure.
At our longer-term project sites, on the other hand, we have been relying on renewable energy solutions for some time. In Somalia, as well as Ethiopia and Kenya, more and more solar systems are being used.
The acute drought in the Horn of Africa is also an enormous challenge for the completed and longer-term arche noVa projects. "Also at these project sites, people are currently affected by drought and food shortages, some existentially. However, it turned out that supplies were guaranteed for longer than elsewhere," emphasizes Pennina Munguti, who heads the arche noVa East Africa regional office. In Laikipia County in Kenya, for example, the first sand dam built there by arche noVa and the partner organization provided water up to a radius of 30 kilometers. The same is true for the wells and water systems at our project sites in Somalia, which, however, are extremely frequented during the acute crisis. The rainwater reservoirs in Ethiopia, which still had reserves from the last rainy season, also proved particularly effective.
It makes a big difference if there is a water infrastructure that collects the precious rainwater or not,
says Pennina Munguti. But she also says that promoting climate-adapted agriculture is exactly the right way to prepare communities for crisis situations and give them a sustainable perspective. Along the Shabelle in Ethiopia, for example, arche noVa enables the irrigation of fields with solar pumps. In Kenya, drought-resistant seeds are distributed, shade trees are planted on agricultural land and terracing is used to counteract erosion. Our projects are more important now than ever before.
arche noVa in East Africa - at a glance
Emergency aid
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Water delivery by tanker truck, distribution of relief supplies
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Rehabilitation of deep wells, repairs to boreholes and pumps
Sustainable aid
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Development of water infrastructure, in particular construction of sand dams and rainwater reservoirs for effective use of scarce rainfall, as well as river water harvesting systems
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Development of irrigation systems and promotion of climate-adapted agriculture
Strengthening resilience to climate change
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Support of civil society and local authorities in the creation of local structures for disaster risk reduction.
All project activities are implemented with the local population and strong local partner organizations. In East Africa, arche noVa cooperates with: Action for Social Economic Progress (ASEP,Somalia), Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF,Kenya), Laikipia Permaculture Centre Trust (LPCT,Kenya), Organization for Welfare and Development Action (OWDA,Ethiopia), Polska Akcja Humanitarna (PAH, Somalia)
