The water project is located in Ewe Woreda of Zone 2 of the Afar Regional State of Ethiopia, and is funded by the Norwegian Government.
The water scheme project was begun as a result of the outbreak of drought in Afar in 2005 when water was one of the critical problems in the Region, a fact which was confirmed by the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness and Food Security Bureau of Afar Region. Save the Children Norway-Ethiopia forwarded a project proposal through the Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway to fund construction of the water scheme and provide water for those in need. The Norwegian Government granted Birr 9.4 million for the two-phased project which has now been completed through the implementation of the sister Save the Children organizations of Norway and the USA in close collaboration with the regional authorities. The water scheme so far covers 16 water points for the use of both humans and animals. A new phase has been planned and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now granted the third phase with a contribution of Birr 4.5 million in 2008.
Local leaders at the inauguration ceremony confirmed that through close collaboration between Save the Children Ethiopia-Norway and the USA and the local authorities, the water schemes are constructed in areas where water is critically needed, and have addressed the needs of the Afar community. In spite of fair progress of the project, however, the project has faced some particular challenges linked to the fact that it is difficult to attract a reasonable number of tenders from construction companies for the water drilling due to the distance from larger cities and the physical harshness of the area.
The project was initiated due to a critical humanitarian situation, and was financed through the Norwegian humanitarian allocation and fits into the Ethiopian Government’s long-term strategy for combating poverty (PASDEP).