Water Crisis in Sudan - Perspectives on Life and Water

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A Woman’s Perspective

Water scarcity puts a tremendous pressure on women in Sudanese society. Traditionally, Sudanese women were responsible for cultivating the land, which was typically not a problem as water was fairly plentiful. However, with an onset of drought beginning in the 1970’s and the unrest due to the civil war in Darfur, this role has changed. Many women have been forced to move their families to cities not only for protection, but also for the opportunity to make a living, often by selling their jewelry or other personal belongings. If women choose to keep their families in rural areas, they must often walk for miles in order to find water, and then wait in line for hours to fill a container. This journey puts them at risk, especially in areas such as Darfur where genocide continues. As the Kenyan newspaper The Standard describes, “With inadequate water points, women are under pressure to walk long distances to search for what their families need to survive. In areas where conflict is rife, they then risk becoming targets of abduction and rape.” In addition, the water these women risk their lives for may lead to disease. Water for Sudan reports that 36% of reported hospitalization cases in Sudan are due to parasites borne by water.

Question: Is water a woman's burden?
Answer:

A Child’s Perspective

Since survival is more important than education to any human being, education is often ignored in many Sudanese villages as the war torn country creates a struggle for the Sudanese to survive. These Sudanese not only fear for their lives in the comfort of their communities, but must also take the risk in going to collect water as nearby safe water sources are unavailable to many. This journey places women and children greatly at risk as they are generally the ones who must go and collect water for the family. Consuming a great deal of their day, there is little time for education. Since children generally learn their literacy skills from their mothers, with neither children nor mothers having time to learn to read and write, the education system fails. This continuous cycle of women and children failing to become literate and instead traveling miles to collect water can never lead to heightened education. Also, basic school items are needed to attend school such as a uniform, books, and pencils. If women and children are spending all their time collecting water and do not have time to obtain money to purchase these resources for school, the possibility of an education is unattainable to them. However, if there was a clean water source nearby, this enduring task of collecting water could be transformed to a minimal time spent devoted to this task, so much more time could be dedicated towards education.

If people constantly fear for their lives, they see no point in education. But with a clean water source nearby, they have one less task to worry about and can continue to develop.

Interview With Mikelina - Running from War

A Farmer’s Perspective

Because only 6.78% of Sudan’s land has access to water, this scarcity has had the most devastating effect on farmers. Sudanese society has traditionally been based on farming, so when these farmers have no water for their crops, the entire social structure can be upended. This unrest is a cause of the current genocide in Darfur.

A matter as simple as providing water to the farmers who need it could play a key role in ending this tragic genocide.

Question: What is the water like in Sudan?
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