In the heart of Aby-Adi, a town in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, which was affected by conflict between 2020 and 2022, 48-year-old Birzaf Gebreabezg’s stood out among the crowd. Dressed in a neat blue dress, she swiftly moved towards a well, a yellow jerrycan in hand. For Birzaf, fetching water is not just a mundane task, but a lifeline in her daily fight for survival.
Birzaf, a mother of 8, originally hails from Humera, a village in western Tigray, from where she fled with all her children, escaping the violence that ravaged the region. What followed was a grueling 450 km journey, through hunger, fear, and exhaustion until she and her children found refuge in a vocational college that had been transformed into a displacement camp; now a sanctuary for over 17,000 displaced individuals.
Life in the camp is a constant challenge. Birzaf's family shares a cramped tent with 11 other people, a stark reflection of the dire living conditions. In the early days, the struggle for necessities was overwhelming.
"There was no water when we arrived; we relied on the river," Birzaf recalled. "But the river was overcrowded, and the water was often contaminated.”
Yet, amidst these struggles, a glimmer of hope emerged when OXFAM, with funding from the European Union, stepped in to provide much-needed relief. Through the rehabilitation of a critical water point, OXFAM ensured that clean and accessible water was made available to over 17,500 people. In addition, it also distributed hygiene kits, which included essential items such as jerrycans, washing basins, plastic buckets, soap, underwear, sanitary pads, helping people maintain basic hygiene and reduce the risk of disease.
"We didn’t have jerrycans and buckets, but OXFAM provided them,” says Birzif.
“We used to wash our clothes on stones, but now we have basins. Our children were constantly sick from dirty water, but now things have improved."
Despite these improvements, the water supply remains insufficient. Alem Gomera, a public health assistant with OXFAM in Ethiopia, highlighted the ongoing struggle: “The daily water provision is only 15 litres per person—far below the recommended 50.”
Birzaf shares the same frustrations: “Long queues often leave us waiting, and sometimes, we return home empty-handed, relying on our neighbors to quench our thirst.”
OXFAM continues to push for sustainable solutions, maintaining 405 handpumps serving over 281,000 people in Tigray. In Aby-Adi town alone, 30 hand pumps now serve 9,000 individuals. Beyond water access, OXFAM has also built latrines, promoted hygiene education, and distributed water treatment chemicals to ensure long-term health benefits for the community.
For Birzaf, while these efforts have provided some relief, her ultimate hope remains tied to the possibility of returning home.
“I was hopeful before, and I still am," she said. “My greatest wish is to return to my village.”
