Barwaaqo’s innovative approach is transforming lives and livelihoods through community-led water solutions.
📍 Somalia, Galmudug State, Kalluun Dacar
The struggle for water has long defined daily life for families across Somalia’s drylands, often consuming precious time and resources that could be used for farming, livestock care, or income generation. For communities like Halwo Shire’s in Kalluun Dacar, the journey to find water could take six kilometers, leaving families exhausted and with no time for anything but survival. This hardship quickly escalated into a broader livelihoods crisis, highlighting the urgent need for a sustainable solution. The World Bank-supported Somalia Water for Rural Resilience Project, known as Barwaaqo, addresses this critical challenge head-on.
At the heart of Barwaaqo’s success is its focus on multi-use water points, strategically designed to support farming, livestock care, and small local services. These points aren't just about providing water; they're about creating economic opportunity. Forty new and rehabilitated water points have already been established, fostering activity around a single, reliable source and enabling communities like Halwo’s to prioritize productive work instead of struggling with water scarcity. The project emphasizes a community-centered approach, utilizing Community Investment Plans (CIPs) to ensure water infrastructure directly addresses local needs.
Through the CIP process, communities themselves determine how the water points should be utilized, fostering ownership and sustainable management. Halwo Shire herself describes the transformative impact: “Before, we collected water from far away and spent much of our income buying it. Now the hafir is right next to us. It has made daily life easier, for cooking, sanitation, washing clothes, and bathing.” Barwaaqo's innovative model, combining reliable water access with community involvement and strategic investment, is demonstrably improving lives and building resilience in some of Somalia's most fragile environments.
Original Source: Link
Somalia WaterResilience CommunityDevelopment Livelihoods WorldBank RuralDevelopment Africa WaterForSanitation