Youniyas Abdurahman Seliman is a community development practitioner, youth leader and social impact advocate with more than three years of experience in livelihoods, child protection, peacebuilding and youth empowerment from Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Development at XIM University and serves as an Incentive Mentor with BOMA and Co-founder of Inspire for Change CBO, where he leads initiatives in climate action, Livelihood, education, digital literacy, and community resilience. Passionate about empowering vulnerable communities, Youniyas has supported women and youth through mentorship, financial literacy, psychosocial support, and sustainable livelihood programs to promote dignity, inclusion, and self-reliance.
Women’s perspectives on water scarcity in Kakuma Refugee Camp.
In Kakuma refugee camp, water is not merely a resource; it is a daily life challenge, a source of danger, and, surprisingly, the strength and solidarity among women. As the world debates water scarcity and shortages, infrastructure, and climate patterns, the real-life experiences of women and girls tell a more humane story that requires immediate intervention and refugee-driven policies. Women and girls rise every day, not knowing whether they will have water or not.
For most, the search starts in the early morning and takes hours, taking 40-60 minutes to reach the water points, and only realize there are long queues, low water pressure, or even no water at all. Other people go even further to the boreholes in remote places, and this is not just an inconvenience but an interruption of life, dignity and the chance of livelihood.
Water collection is a task that is mostly reserved for women and girls in many households of Kakuma Refugee Camp, which is deeply entrenched in the social norms and traditional gender roles. But it's a heavy burden for them, physically, emotionally and financially. Spending long hours searching for water limits participation in community development activities, child care, and earning income, and reduces education time. Safe and reliable water supplies to refugee communities are often scarce and disproportionately impact women and girls, increasing their protection risks and limits on their social and economic empowerment, according to (Tutu, 2024).
In the community engagement discussions in Kakuma, Suriya said her daughter regularly misses school due to the need to carry water for the household for several hours each day. Mama Kashidi, who runs a small informal enterprise, said she has to close her shop every day to find water for domestic use. These experiences illustrate the direct impacts of water insecurity on education, livelihoods and women's economic autonomy. According to UNICEF, 2016), research shows that women and girls around the world spend 200 million hours a day collecting water, which deprives them of the opportunity to lead, work or study.
Their burden is not just economic or educational but also physical and emotional. During the process of taking care of the Children, women and girls have to carry heavy jerrycans over long distances, causing back pains, joint discomfort and fatigue. Simultaneously, the lack of clean water poses a severe health risk, which is a stressor. Families have no choice but to use contaminated water, which causes stomach diseases, skin infections and poor hygiene. Aside
from these obstacles, there is something even more troubling: safety. The water points are found in the remote parts, and women and girls are at risk of being harassed, robbed and even violated. This has made some of them travel in groups to protect themselves. They leave early in the morning, and some are not certain of the routes at all. This puts such important issues as access to water not only about supply, but also about safety and human rights.
Women and girls in Kakuma are not just making it, they are adjusting, organising, and becoming leaders. The water points, which are places of struggle, have turned into places of contact. In this case, women and girls exchange information on the differentiation assistance [DA-Category] food distribution, Bamba Chakula, healthcare services and community updates. They share tips on how to save water, help each other emotionally and practically. Thus, social bonds have been enhanced in many aspects due to the scarcity of water. Women in groups go out to fetch water, and this minimises the risks and also spreads the weight. They share, help one another and even share water with neighbours when it is necessary. This ethos of teamwork indicates a bigger fact: resilience is not made in isolation but in groups.
The management of limited resources by women is also innovative. Most households are saving water in various containers in order to deal with the shortages. Whenever it rains, harvesting of rainwater is done, though it is limited by the sporadic rainfall. Water is recycled in innovative ways, such as the water used to wash utensils can be used to wash or irrigate small kitchen gardens. These plans prove to be not only resourceful but also very knowledgeable in sustainability.
Out of these experiences, women in Kakuma have been taught the importance of each drop of water, hence, developing a culture of conservation, cooperation and compassion. They have grown to be problem solvers who can adjust to the changing conditions with resilience and innovation. These lessons are applicable not only in the camp but also introduce a lot of insights into the global discussions on the topics of climate change, resource management and community.
The fact is that the water shortage in Kakuma is a serious and urgent problem. However, the situation is worsening due to the infrastructure problem (such as broken pipes, no borehole, and an insufficient number of water taps relative to the population).
The water pressure remains a limiting factor. Climate change increases the population growth rate and long-term droughts, which further aggravate the crises. Without any significant action, the pressure on women and girls will only grow.
Women in Kakuma are proving they are not just recipients of aid, but they are masters of their experiences. Any policy, program or intervention to deal with water scarcity must put their voices at the center stage. The solutions must be aimed at not only enhancing water supply but also at enhancing safety, accessibility and sustainability. This is not merely about the lack of water in kakuma but it is about power. It concerns women who, in spite of the challenges they have to struggle with on a daily basis, still manage to help their families, improve their communities and adjust to the constantly evolving environment.