Somalia
- Population: 16.8 million
- People in Need: 7.7 million
Our Impact
- People Helped Last Year: 1,131,478
- Our Team: 85 employees
- Program Start: 1992
For Internally Displaced People in Somalia, Clean Water Brings Revolutionary Change
When most Americans wake up thirsty, all they have to do is fill up a glass with tap water. But for many others around the world, it’s not so easy. Globally, 2 billion people lack access to clean water. Women bear the brunt of the water crisis, and with climate change on the rise, more and more women are facing unimaginable and often dangerous. For women like 27-year-old Habiba Adan, who lives in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), getting water is a daily struggle.
When Habida moved to the Sheebta area camp in Baidoa, Somalia, she took long treks to fetch water every morning. She walked in the glaring hot sun, hauling heavy buckets to and from a well. She couldn’t carry everything she needed, so one trip usually didn’t cut it. Over the course of the day, Habida would return repeatedly, preparing for daily chores like laundry, cooking, and cleaning.
Habiba Adan fetches water from the new solar-powered well, in the southeastern part of Baidoa. The well was rehabilitated by Action Against Hunger and now provides clean water to families throughout the district.
“It’s a long walk every morning to the Yamani well,” she said. “If we needed more water for something else, I had to go back again and again.” In this area of Baidoa, only a few wells served over fifty displacement camps and nearby communities. The climate crisis and local conflicts drove more and more people from their homes, and a long-term drought led people to seek refuge elsewhere in search of water. The existing wells were reliant on costly fuel for their operation and maintenance. They couldn’t keep up with the population surge.
When people crowded by the wells, outbreaks soon followed. In fact, watery diarrhea and even cholera were common, caused by poor sanitation and hygiene conditions.
Recognizing the urgency of the crisis, Action Against Hunger launched a program that would connect many women like Habiba to fresh water sources. Last year, team members stepped in to rebuild and rehabilitate water wells across the area. Partnering with the local community, they equipped each water source with solar power systems to generate a larger supply. Instead of a diesel-powered engine, solar power provides a sustainable and cost-effective alternative.
Our Work in Somalia
Action Against Hunger has been working in Somalia for over three decades. Last year, our teams helped over 1.1 million people through initiatives focused on improving access to clean water, healthcare, and livelihood support.
In each community, Action Against Hunger teams built water kiosks so that Habiba and her neighbors could easily collect water. A water tank was also constructed to provide even more to affected communities. Its proximity ensured that women and girls could approach safely and without disruption. In fact, the water kiosks are now only 300 feet away, so women and girls do not need to brave long journeys under the scorching sun in search of other wells.
Today, water in Sheetba camp is safer and closer to access than ever before.
Sacdiya Sheikh Mohamad fills up her jugs with water. She's happy that water access at the kiosk has reduced overcrowding.
Regardless of age, gender, or income level, people across the community can now get water within seconds. Sacdiya sheikh Mohamed, 58, is a mother from the Galosha camp for internally displaced persons. Now that Sacdiya can use the kiosk, her children are healthy and are no longer threatened by imminent waterborne diseases.
In fact, malnutrition levels throughout the Baidoa district have declined, largely due to the water kiosk in the camps and other interventions focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene.
A water meter was installed at the Yamani well, which indicates the large volume of water pumped to communities in need.
The availability of abundant drinking water has not only improved community health, but has also had positive socio-economic effects. Some people close to the well have started gardening and engaging in food production. Mohamed Abdi, using adjacent land, has started farming using a drip irrigation system powered by the well.
His harvest is plentiful, and he’s been able to sell his crops to the nearby market, increasing his income by 30%. With a constant supply of water and fresh vegetables, Mohamed is no longer going to bed hungry.
Thanks to water from the well, Mohamed Abdi's garden is plentiful.
“We no longer have to worry about going hungry,” said Mohamed. “Our focus now is on helping the nearby local communities with nutritious vegetables. It’s amazing to see people learning how to incorporate greens into their diets and coming back to buy more.”
For the residents of Sheebta, the well and kiosk has become a lifeline. To date, it has provided 539,000 liters of water to the community. In many places in Somalia and across the world, a life with clean, accessible water is not guaranteed. For some, it’s only a distant dream. But for Habiba, it is now a reality.
Millions in Need
Over 7 million people in Somalia are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The country is facing some of the highest levels of acute food insecurity in the world, largely driven by the climate crisis, chronic food shortages, and over two decades of conflict.
About Action Against Hunger in Somalia
Action Against Hunger has worked in Somalia since 1992. Last year, our teams helped over 1.1 million people. In Baidoa, in collaboration with the Southwest State Ministry of Energy and Water resources, and with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Action Against Hunger rehabilitated four wells with solar power systems. They provide people across the Sheebta camps with clean water.
