For families in Galyeel Village, Adado District, every day once began with the same difficult question: Where will today’s water come from? During the prolonged drought, access to safe water became a daily struggle that consumed time, energy, and the little income households had left. Parents were often forced to make heartbreaking choices between buying water for their families or purchasing food. Women and children spent hours searching for water, while many households resorted to unsafe sources that exposed them to waterborne diseases.
For 42-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Abdulle, the elected Chairman of the Galyeel Village Water Management Committee and a father of five, the drought affected not only his own family but the entire community he served. As village leader, he witnessed the devastating impact of water scarcity on livelihoods, education, health, and dignity.
“Before the water voucher came, my family and I spent long hours every day searching for water, and what we found was not always safe to drink,” Ahmed recalls. “Some weeks we could only manage one proper wash for the children. When the drought was at its worst, I saw families in Galyeel sell the little livestock they had left just to buy water.”
The situation began to change when the Centre for Peace and Democracy (CPD), through the SOM-1119 Project, introduced a four-week emergency water voucher response in Galyeel and six other drought-affected villages in Adado District. Rather than simply delivering water, the project placed communities at the centre of the response.
Ahmed actively participated in community consultation meetings alongside CPD staff, district authorities, village elders, and local leaders. Together, they explained the water voucher system to residents, verified beneficiary registration lists, and established transparent mechanisms for addressing concerns throughout the implementation period.
Each week, Ahmed’s household received its allocation of 315 litres of safe water, ensuring his family no longer had to spend countless hours searching for water or paying inflated prices during the drought. The predictable supply allowed families to plan their daily lives with greater confidence and reduced the constant anxiety that had become part of everyday life.
The project also strengthened safe hygiene practices. Ahmed’s family received a hygiene kit containing a 20-litre jerrycan, a lidded storage bucket, soap, and water treatment tablets. During regular household visits, hygiene promoters demonstrated proper water handling and storage techniques, helping families protect their drinking water from contamination.
“The hygiene kit has made it much easier for us to keep our drinking water safe between deliveries,” Ahmed explains. “We learned how to store water properly, and that knowledge will continue to benefit our family long after the project.”
One feature Ahmed particularly values is the community accountability hotline (7555), which was clearly displayed throughout the village, including on the roof of his household water store.
“We were told we could call if anything went wrong, and that gave people confidence that this was not just water arriving once and being forgotten,” he says. “It showed that CPD was ready to listen and respond to the community.”
Beyond the direct benefits to his own household, Ahmed has witnessed remarkable changes across Galyeel. Children who once spent hours helping their families fetch water are now attending lessons more regularly. Women have regained valuable time to care for their families, manage their homes, and resume small income-generating activities that had been interrupted by the drought. The pressure on vulnerable households has eased, while improved access to safe water has contributed to healthier living conditions across the village.
“Now children go to their lessons instead of walking for water, and women have time to look after their homes and their small trade again,” Ahmed says. “As a water committee chairman, I have seen how much calmer and healthier the village has become since the water and hygiene support started.”
Ahmed’s story reflects the wider impact of the SOM-1119 Project across all seven target villages. By combining emergency water vouchers with hygiene promotion, community participation, and strong accountability mechanisms, the intervention addressed immediate humanitarian needs while strengthening community resilience.
For Galyeel Village, the project delivered far more than safe water. It restored time, protected health, strengthened trust between communities and service providers, and returned a sense of dignity to families recovering from one of the harshest droughts in recent years. What began as an emergency response became a foundation for renewed hope allowing families like Ahmed’s to look beyond survival and focus once again on building a healthier and more secure future.