The preparations for our humanitarian operation in Ethiopia run at full blast. Meanwhile, we completed first aid activities in Somalia. For several weeks, tanking trucks supplied about 4,000 people in the settlements around the city of Belet Xaawa with safe drinking water. Due to the beginning of the rain season, this action is not necessary any more. However, forecasts suggest that this year's rainfall will be far below the average again. Moreover, this amount is not going to reach every part of the country. That is why our local partner organization focuses on the urgent expansion of water infrastructure in our project area.
More and more people from rural areas extremely affected by drought and famine arrive in the Gedo region. Most of them are cattle breeders, whose flocks are partly dead or very weak. In some places, the number of inhabitants has more than tripled already. In order to ensure the supply of people already living in this area and those who just arrived, the team of our local partner organization ASEP has already built a 50,000-liter water tank. It is fed by wells and ensures that enough water is collected at distribution stations in Bulo Ajuran. Clean containers, canisters and other items for body and household hygiene were distributed to affected families. Health care through good sanitary conditions is especially important for the extremely weakened people.
Our team wants to advance the local hygiene activities during the following weeks. In addition, we are going to build water supply points and latrines and rehabilitate manually dug wells. The extreme drought has massively reduced the water levels and earnings of existing wells. An expansion will ensure that more water is available again. For all these activities, arche noVa urgently needs donations.
We also need support to provide water to those affected by the famine in Ethiopia. Now, Nazir Ahmed, member of our WASH-emergency team, helps to establish an emergency aid project in the Somali region of the country. He works with our new local partner organization OWDA. The team has been well acquainted with the area for over 18 years. However, they never experienced such an emergency as the current drought has caused since 2015. Many people are extremely malnourished already; their health is in danger. The water points are dried up. The remaining water is contaminated. Our project is going to focus on improving the supply situation in the Korahe zone. For example, 3,000 people in the village of Dhuurre, 70 kilometers in the east of the town of Kebridahar, are going to receive an access to safe water. This task is anything but easy as a 50 meter deep well has to be drilled.
Unterstützung brauchen wir auch, um in Äthiopien von der Hungersnot betroffene Menschen mit Wasser versorgen zu können. Nazir Ahmed von unserem WASH-Nothilfeteam ist gerade in der Somali Region des Landes dabei das Nothilfeprojekt aufzubauen. Dabei arbeitet er mit unserer neuen lokalen Partnerorganisation OWDA zusammen. Das Team kennt die Region seit über 18 Jahren. Eine solche Notlage, wie sie die seit 2015 anhaltende Dürre ausgelöst hat, haben sie jedoch noch nicht erlebt. Viele Menschen sind bereits extrem unterernährt, ihre Gesundheit ist in Gefahr. Die Wasserstellen sind ausgetrocknet. Das verbliebene Wasser verunreinigt.
Unser Projekt wird sich um die Verbesserung der Versorgungssituation in der Korahe Zone kümmern. So sollen beispielsweise 3.000 Menschen in der Gemeinde Dhuurre, 70 Kilometer östlich der Stadt Kebridahar, Zugang zu sicherem Wasser erhalten. Die Aufgabe ist alles andere als einfach. Dafür muss ein 50 Meter tiefer Brunnen gebohrt werden.
