“Water or education”
Prior to the outbreak of Yemen’s war in 2015, the country’s water supply was so stressed that some experts predicted it would be the first country to run out of usable water. Many farmers drilled wells that are hundreds of meters deep, causing severe depletion of groundwater, and clashes over diminishing water resources killed approximately 4000 people per year.
"I’m often absent from school because I have to go to harvest water in the arid mountains of Hajjah. Sometimes I have to move from one area to another to search for water."
Mona is a 12-year old girl from Dahr al-Sabr village in the western Hajjah Governorate of Yemen, which was recently targeted under VHI’s Rainwater Harvesting and Sanitation project. Mona is one of thousands of girls who walks many kilometers a day to meet the basic needs of her family. She is often unable to attend school and despite her intelligence, has fallen behind because of her long absence from school. In the remote mountain areas of Hajja Governorate, women and girls frequently travel four hours or more each day to collect water for their families. This often prevents them from attending school or engaging in income generating activities like sewing, embroidery, and teaching to support their families.
Mona suffered a lot and her passion for education made her bear overstretched. She woke up early to get water so that she could go to school afterwards - but she could not reconcile the two. "I can't let my family die of thirst, and I can't finish my education. I'm sad to see my classmates enjoy their freedom to play, go to school and not have to commit to hard work like I do."
In collaboration with a local NGO, Solidarity Social Foundation for Development (SSFD), Vision Hope built eight water cisterns in Hajja Governorate through the Rainwater Harvest and Sanitation Project (RWHS). The cisterns sustainably provide water for a total of 303 families who run small farms. RWHS is not intended to be a temporary solution, but rather a long term solution to the critical issue of water scarcity.
To ensure sustainability, Vision Hope International trained local water-user committees to encourage the correct usage and maintenance of the cistern. Additionally, Vision Hope trained eight hygiene promoters to educate local families about hygiene standards, proper use of water filters, general water hygiene, and water storage, as well as to distribute water filters. Their efforts help ensure that drinking water is clean and reduce the potential for deadly outbreaks of diarrheal diseases.
After the project was implemented and water became accessible from Mona's house, it is now quicker and easier to bring her family water and she’s able to attend school and complete her education.
She told us about her overwhelming happiness from the changes in the village and her great hope in achieving her ambitions: “One day I saw many people coming to our village with their vehicles and different sort of materials that I didn’t know. I wondered what they were going to do. I asked my father about all of this, and he told me that my suffering in bringing water will end and I will be able to go to school every day. I was stunned and could not express my joy. I no longer need to worry about going to bring water but rather focus on my studies instead”.
