Fatima* is 6 years old, but unlike many children her age, her mornings don’t start with the familiar ring of a school bell.
Empty bucket in hand, Fatima sets off in search of water—a journey that might quench her household’s thirst, but robs her of an education.
For children like Fatima, each drop of water they gather deepens their despair; young minds that should be immersed in books are instead burdened by the weight of a heavy bucket. But Fatima’s thirst for knowledge is not the only concern.
A question of thirst: The search for water dampens the thirst for knowledge as these children must constantly search for water, keeping them out of the classroom.
Photo Credit: ©IWMI/Tabitha
Thirty-seven-year-old Japhet, a small-scale farmer and father of two from Dumna-Zerbu community in Adamawa, Nigeria, photographs his community’s daily water hardships. Japhet is a participant in the IWMI and WFP Photovoice project under the CGIAR FCM Initiative and supported by Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
Photo Credit: ©Dinovate/Joe Bala for IWMI
Japhet laments, “In my community, we struggle for water, a clean source of water. You can see people drinking water from the same source animals drink from. And the distance we must travel to access clean water is disheartening… even hospitals that are meant to be an embodiment of cleanliness are drinking from the same source animals use.” The vulnerability of water systems in fragile and conflict-affected communities (FCACs) has implications for refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their host communities. This includes impacts on water-dependent economic activities with implications for livelihoods and potential negative health outcomes resulting from the use of unsafe water sources to meet basic needs such as cooking, drinking, and hygiene.
