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| Children collecting water in Ethiopia with the help of SOS donkey carts |
February 1, 2012: It's 4:30 in the afternoon and the local water source from the Shebelle River near Gode town is crowded with children and their donkey carts. Rahmo, 12, and her younger brother finished school earlier and are helping their mother to collect a barrel of water for the family.
Gode is in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, a hot and arid area where water is the most precious commodity. The Shebelle River is the best source available and many people make their living by collecting water and delivering it for a small price to the community. But to do this they need transport, such as a donkey cart, commonly used in the area but expensive to buy.
Emergency Consists of Three Stages
Last year's drought in the Horn of Africa took its toll even in Ethiopia, causing SOS Children’s Villages to intervene with emergency relief. An emergency, says Village Director Mustafa Haji, consists of three distinct stages: the emergency itself, recovery and rehabilitation. The Emergency Relief Program in Gode, which started in September 2011, is now in the recovery stage, and, as part of this process, SOS Children's Villages has given donkey carts to the most vulnerable families in the program, so that they can get back on their feet and start generating a little income.
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| Ardi with four of her children in Ethiopia |
Ardi has six children. The youngest is five and the oldest, Rahmo is 12. Ardi and her husband are divorced and the father does not support his children - a situation common in the area. To feed her children, Ardi workes as a road cleaner until the department was downsized and she lost her job.
As one of the first recipients of an SOS donkey cart, Ardi uses it to fetch water from the Shebelle about five times a day, selling it on, and making a daily profit of around $3. She uses the money for necessities, including feeding and educating her children.
Donkey Carts Used for Several Purposes
SOS Children's Village Gode started distributing donkey carts in December 2011, when they gave out 30. They are currently choosing the next recipients for the remaining 70. According to Mustafa Haji, they are used for several purposes: the delivery and sale of water, firewood, grass, charcoal and construction materials, and as a source of water for home. They can also be used as transport for old and sick people.
Mustafa adds that the people of Gode value a donkey cart more than any other possession, even ahead of a house or a latrine, because it can make money for them. Once they have an income, they say, then they can build the house and latrine.
Rahmo Helps Her Mother
Both Rahmo and her younger brother attend school in the morning, so Ardi collects and sells the water herself. In the afternoon after school, Rahmo takes over to allow her mother to get on with household tasks such as doing the laundry or preparing food.
"Before I had the donkey cart," says Ardi "I could not buy school books for my children. Now that I have an income," she adds, "I have been able to buy these things."
How does Ardi feed her new donkey? And what happens if it gets sick? Ardi explains that the income from water sales includes enough for her to buy donkey feed and to enable her to feed her single cow, which is a source of milk for her family. As for sickness, Mustafa notes that donkeys are hardy creatures, much more than horses, and if treated well, they rarely need the services of a vet.
Back at the Shebelle, Rahmo waits patiently for her turn to fill her water barrel. Despite the eight carts ahead of her it doesn't take long because two carts can be filled at once using hoses, and each barrel takes about five minutes to fill. The barrel filled, Rahmo's brother turns the donkey around, Rahmo jumps up into the driver's seat and the donkey slowly sets off on the last run of the day, to take the water home.
Learn more about SOS Emergency Relief in East Africa at www.sos-usa.org/eastafrica.