Rainwater harvesting units in Syria
Khadija, a 32-year-old woman, and Jamila, a 30-year-old mother of five who is pregnant with twins, live in a village in Al-Hassakeh governorate. Both women face immense financial struggles, making it difficult to provide for their families.
Khadija lives with her husband and five children, none of whom attend school due to their dire financial situation. Her oldest son underwent surgery for Perthes disease (disruption in blood supply to the head of the thigh bone), leaving him unable to work. Another son works as a daily laborer in Tartous governorate to support the family. “My husband suffers from chronic illnesses, works as an employee, but his meager salary barely covers the cost of his monthly medicine”.
Jamila’s husband, a 31-year-old worker, is away from home for long hours, trying to earn enough to sustain their growing family. Yet, despite their efforts, making ends meet remains a daily struggle.
“Whenever I hear that there is work, I’m always in,” Khadija shared. She has taken on various jobs, including harvesting lentils and working in other seasonal agricultural labor. Yet, even with all their combined earnings, some days the family can only afford bread for dinner. “ We have had to sell many of our home assets just to survive”, she added.
The village where they live lacks essential services, adding to their hardships. Until recently, they struggled with water scarcity, relying on costly private water trucking to provide water for their livestock. This put an additional financial burden on their already strained resources.
However, with funding from the European Union, Action Against Hunger installed rainwater harvesting units for both Khadija and Jamila. The organization placed zinc sheets on their roofs to collect rainwater, which not only supplies their water tanks but also prevents leaks in their homes. During rainfall, the tanks fill up, ensuring a more sustainable water source. In times of drought, they clean the tanks and refill them with water from private suppliers, as they have no alternative storage.
Thanks to the rainwater harvesting units, they are now able to provide for their livestock without additional costs. They use the milk for household consumption and sell yogurt, which helps generate some income to cover their basic needs.
Despite the ongoing challenges, both Khadia and Jamila expressed their gratitude for this support as it has brought a significant improvement to their lives, allowing them to manage their resources more effectively in a difficult environment.
