Gani, a 50-year-old widowed mother, lives with her 10 children and grandchildren in Kamal, a remote hilly village in the Gayan district of Paktika province. She shares a 2-room brick home with the rest of her family. There’s no sign of any bedding except for a few old blankets and pillows stacked in the corner.
Most locals in Afghanistan rely on farming and livestock as a source of income. But a string of unsuccessful harvests and animal deaths brought on by protracted drought caused previously comfortable families to give up their way of earning a living.
This was the case for Gani.
“Before, we had a piece of land where we grew different types of crops. The harvest was enough to sustain my family throughout the seasons. I don’t know the last time it rained properly.” Gani says.
“Throughout my life, I have always known the river valleys as our water source. Sometimes the water is clear, and some days muddy and smelly. It didn’t matter. We used it for drinking, washing and cooking.”
An arduous, dangerous task for women and girls
Traditionally, women and girls are responsible for collecting water for their households. Without a nearby well, they have no option but to walk for miles to find water, exposing them to risks such as sexual assault and physical abuse.
“As an elderly mother, my biggest daily worry was water,” she says emotionally. “When I first woke up in the morning, it was never about food; only water worried me most.”
Struggling to speak, she said further, “Other women and girls have the strength to walk and fetch water from the river, which is far away. I can no longer walk and carry water on my head. Since then, I have been going door-to-door asking people for water.”
Providing families with safe drinking water
With generous funding from Birmingham-based volunteer group Taskforce GLM, Islamic Relief constructed 3 solar-powered water networks in 3 rural villages: Kamal, Azar and Raja, and Miama villages in the Gayan district of Paktika province.
The water networks also included 3 concrete water storage tanks and solar-powered pumps to pump water from the wells to central tanks. Then, through a network of gravity-fed pipes, water is distributed throughout the village. Today, 600 families have access to safe drinking water.
“When the water tap was installed, and water came through the tap, I felt relieved. Because I would no longer have to ask for water. I was also happy for our women and daughters. They have seen a lot of problems with water,” Gani says.
Before these networks were built, about 300 school-going children had to walk 3 kilometres each day to fetch water for their families. The new water facility means women and girls won’t have to endanger their lives by walking great distances, and children won’t be exposed to contaminated water that can cause cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid.
Gani prays for the donors and supporters who brought water to her doorstep and promises to continue asking them for forgiveness from Allah for the rest of her life.
“May Allah keep the evil away from those who supported us and grant them mercy.”
Please help Islamic Relief continue to support families in need like Gani’s. Donate now.
