08/30/2026
Somia Alzein Ahmed, a mother of four in Darfur, remembers the days when collecting water ruled every hour of the community’s life. She and her neighbors depended on a single shared well.
“It used to take about eight hours just to collect water because so many people used that single source,” she says.
“The issue wasn't the distance, the source is nearby, but the crowd was the problem.”
Sometimes, even after hours of waiting, the water level dropped so low that families had to wait again for it to refill.
“The water was not clean, but it was the only source we had.”
Across Central and East Darfur, years of conflict have damaged water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.
Through the MOAFA III project, implemented by CRS since 2022, communities are working to restore essential water and sanitation services in areas heavily affected by conflict and displacement.
Activities include rehabilitating wells and boreholes, constructing ventilated pit latrines with hand-washing facilities, promoting hygiene through trained community workers and strengthening local systems to manage waste and prevent disease outbreaks.
“Now, it takes about one hour to collect water in the worst-case scenario. Otherwise, it only takes about 30 minutes,” she says.
