How solar energy changed the life of a family
The family of Abu and Umm Hamudi lives in the village of Ain al-Jabal.* The father, Abu Hamudi works from early in the morning until late in the fields surrounding the small village in the mountains. His wife, Umm Hamudi, takes care of the children and the household. Since the village does not have its own water source, Umm Hamudi has to go every day to draw water from the cistern outside the village. It is a two-kilometer walk to get there. Drawing water is exhausting, the canisters are heavy. Afterwards, she has to walk the distance back with the family’s scrawny donkey, which carries the full and heavy canisters. Umm carries some of the water herself. She can’t remember a day when she didn’t have back pain. The two older children have to help her fetch water; she can leave the little ones with their grandmother. The family fetches the water early in the morning, when it is not yet so hot. Sometimes they are busy for two hours – depending on whether many others from the village are already in line ahead of them and depending on how quickly the water flows in. As a result, the children are often late for school, which is located in the neighboring village a few kilometers to the south.
That changed when Vision Hope International worked with a local partner organization to install a solar pump in Ain Al-Gabal. Solar power now pumps water from the ground directly to the village. The water source, so vital, is now just a few steps away from Umm and Abu Hamudi’s hut, and drawing water is less strenuous because it doesn’t have to be hauled up from a deep hole. Since the solar pump has been there, the back pain has also decreased. Umm Hamudi is also no longer dependent on the help of the children, who can now get to class on time in the morning. And also Umm Hamudi and her husband receive lessons: In addition to the installation of the solar pump, Vision Hope gives trainings on how to improve irrigation in agriculture and how to use water hygienically, so that an optimal use of the system is guaranteed. The lives of the inhabitants of Ain Al-Jabal are thus sustainably improved.
Solar pumps and solar panels are making a life-changing difference for families like Umm and Abu Hamudi’s, bringing #lightforlife!
Solar energy is sustainable and environmentally friendly, providing independence and profoundly improving lives! That’s why we invest in solar energy in over 70% of our projects as part of the major reconstruction project! Over 20,000 people like Umm and Abu Hamudi benefit from the water solar projects!
If you want to support these projects, we appreciate your donation for #LightforLife!
*names changed