As i drove through the bends of the beautiful Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, I marveled at the mountainous landscape and the beautiful rocks that encircle the area. Looking through the window, I see the steep slope from where we came from and I am amazed at how outstanding this region is.

After driving about 114 km from Mekeke town where i stayed, through the dry and densely populated huts along the roadside, I finally arrived in Berhale town.

Unexpectedly large and crowded, I finally meet the friendly and warm people of this place. What stands out though is how hot the area is. The sun rises as early as 8:00 a.m. and sets simultaneously. By 10:00 am we had started distributing the WASH NFI items as our target was to finish by noon since the sun would be scorching hot and unbearable to work under.

It was during the distribution that I met Kivos Halfow, a 60-year-old. She is a mother to four children and a grandmother to 3. What drew me to her was the excitement she had. I could not help but ask about her story.

She narrated to me how she had lost her son-in-law during the conflict of the Tigray War as well as her property. This forced her to move to a safer area in search of peace and security. She further states that solar panels that African Initiatives for Relief & Development(AIRD) had put up were destroyed during the war which affected them tremendously as they now have a water strain.

However, she was visibly excited to have received some WASH items like a jerrycan, bucket, basin, soap, sanitary, laundry, and flashlight. “I now have a jerrycan where I can collect my water and store it for a while, I also have items to wash my clothes. I am very excited because I had none. May Allah bless AIRD greatly, they have wiped away my tears” she states

Kivos was among the 300 beneficiaries that got AIRD’s WASH NFI during distribution. The target is for about 17000 people to benefit from this distribution in the Afar region so that hygiene and sanitation are promoted.