Getting water should not be a gruelling task that takes most of your time and exposes you to potential violence, but this is the reality for women and girls in many of the world’s poorest communities.
Mother-of-3 Khadija, who lives in the State of Darfur in Sudan, used to spend most of her day walking huge distances to fetch water.
“The handpump in my village has not worked for the last 8 months. We had to trek for 6 kilometres to get water.”
Access to water lies at the heart of the many challenges facing people in Darfur. Exacerbated by the climate crisis, which is increasing the intensity and frequency of drought and heavy rainfall, water shortages lead to hunger and fuel conflict.
Darfur is home to more than 80% of Sudan’s estimated 3 million displaced people, whose lives have been turned upside down by the prolonged state of instability in the state since the outbreak of conflict in 2003. Women and girls remain particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse, with the risks greatly increased because they often walk long distances to fetch water.
Equitable access to safe and clean water
In Jebel Marra in central Darfur, Islamic Relief is helping to change that. We have pioneered integrated protection, health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to increase equitable, affordable and safe access to clean water.
Our project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), aims to improve household food security, support better hygiene practices and disease prevention and reduce sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls.
Repairing 30 hand pumps and constructing 2 new hand pumps alongside 2 mini water yards has made a big difference to Khadija and the more than 62,000 other people benefiting from the project. Khadija now walks just 85 metres from her home to the newly-repaired handpump. It means she can easily make several trips a day and the hygiene of the whole family has been improved – the recurring diarrhoea from which they all suffered is now a thing of the past.
Home gardens, improved nutrition and a path to self-sufficiency
Safe and equitable access to water goes far beyond improving hygiene and enabling Khadija and the other 200 families in her village to cook, clean and wash their clothes. Reliable access to water means families are able to grow their own food, boosting their resilience and self-sufficiency amidst continued instability.
With training and equipment from Islamic Relief, Khadija has established a home garden in which she grows vegetables. Her children now eat healthy, nutritious home-grown food, and their diet is improving all the time. Khadija also has some extra money to spend on other essentials.
“From my garden I now have nutritious vegetables, that are free of charge,” says Khadija. “The vegetables have improved my diet and ability to save money. I brought my granddaughter, Rahma, to live with me because she was malnourished. Rahma’s health is now restored because she has access to nutritious food from my garden.”
In addition, reports Khadija, violence against women and girls has significantly reduced since the hand pump has been repaired.
“Since its repair, we have not heard of any attack on innocent women and girls while going to fetch water, and I am grateful for that.”
Please help us to provide clean water and safety to families like Khadija’s, in Sudan and around the world: donate now.