Hosikhil is the remote village of Charbaran district, located on the top of a hill, lived a girl named Shakila. The residents of village extremely suffer from lack of clean drinking water. The only water source, a spring located at the lower side of the village, was unprotected and contaminated by animal waste. The villagers, including Shakila, had no other choice but to use this water for their daily needs.
The heavy task of fetching water fell upon the shoulders of the women and girls of the village. Tradition dictated that only they were responsible for transporting water while the men worked as the breadwinners. Shakila, a devoted wife and mother of three small children, was among the many women who pass the daily journey to the unprotected spring.
One fateful day, disaster struck Shakila’s life. While cooking in the corner of her yard, a pressure cooker exploded, causing hot water to splash into her eyes. This incident left her partially blind, leaving her unable to continue the physically demanding task of carrying water for her family.
Facing financial Problems, Shakila and her family were forced to hire a neighbor girl to transport water for them. Their economic situation was not good, with her husband’s salary only covering their monthly expenses. It was a difficult arrangement that added to their already challenging circumstances.
Hope arrived in the form of the Hosikhil Solarize Pipe Scheme; a WASH project supported by UNICEF. This Project aimed to provide clean and accessible water to the villagers. The project involved constructing a protected pipe system that brought water directly to each home in the village.
For Shakila and her family, this project was a game-changer. The days of struggling to transport water and relying on the neighbors were over. The solarized pipe scheme not only ensured a clean and reliable water supply but also save the financial burden on Shakila’s family. No longer did they have to worry about paying for water and could use those funds towards other essential needs.
With tears of gratitude in her eyes, Shakila expressed her happiness. She said, “If UNICEF did not construct this pipe scheme, we would have suffered from a lack of water and continued to give money to our neighbors for a lifetime until my children grew up. Now, thanks to the project, we can live a healthier and more secure life.”
The success of the WASH project is not only transforming Shakila’s life but also improving the overall well-being of the entire village of Charbaran.
(Contributor: Citizens Organization for Advocacy and Resilience (COAR) of Afghanistan – a member of ADRRN)
