Lifesaving water trucking in Al-Hassakeh, Syria
Wadha, 40, and her husband Abu Ahmad, 52, from Al-Hassakeh, once lived a simple but stable life with their five daughters, who do not know how to read or write, as they haven’t set foot in a classroom since 2011 when the situation in the country deteriorated.
Abu Ahmad, the sole breadwinner, did everything he could to provide for his family. His motorcycle was his lifeline, delivering goods, transporting people, earning just enough to put food on the table. But now motorcycles are banned due to security reasons: “my only source of income is gone, I have to find another way to make money”.
Their rented home is a constant worry. Every month, they struggle to pay the rent.
Water, something so basic, became a daily struggle. At first, they collected it from unreliable sources, then they were forced to buy it from private water trucks, spending what little they had just to drink and wash. The cost was unbearable. Only when they started receiving water from the water trucking service provided by Action Against Hunger, funded by SIDA, did they finally feel some relief.
For the past two years, the water trucking service has been a lifeline for the whole neighborhood. It has saved them from one more expense. But survival is still a daily struggle, they face with resilience.
Ahmad, 50, and his wife Umm Ali, 40 years old. never imagined they would have to choose between feeding their children and educating them. They once lived a peaceful life in their village, working on their agricultural land and dreaming of a bright future for their five children. But when the armed clashes reached their doorstep, everything changed.
The armed conflict years ago forced them to flee, leaving behind not just their home but their entire way of life. They arrived to the city in 2019 with nothing but hope that they could rebuild. With no land to cultivate, Ahmad opened a small shop, trying to provide for his family. But every day is a struggle, especially when their daughters had to drop out of school. The cost of extra courses and even basic school supplies became impossible to afford.
Water has been another battle. As they used to buy drinking water from expensive private water trucking, before the water trucking service provided by Action Against Hunger and funded by SIDA, reached their neighborhood. They use the provided water for drinking and cooking and depend on water from a neighbor’s well for cleaning the house, water that is not always clean. “At times, when there isn’t enough water for both families, we go up to ten days without cleaning our home”., said Ahmad.
For the past two years, the water trucking service has been a lifeline:“it has saved us money, money that we can use for food and our children’s needs”.
