Esha Mohammed lives with her extended family in a flood prone area. She has a husband and 4 children, 2 males and 2 females, two of whom are married.

They lead a simple life, grinding maize and cereal in the mornings, prepare food for the family, milk the cows and send the cattle off to graze in nearby lands. The men engage in farming activities, young children will attend school, while the women will collect water from the Awash river as there isn't a water pipe in this area. The Awash river is highly polluted at present due to its very low levels.

The behaviour of the river remains unpredictable. An underflow of water results in insufficient water flow but an overflow of water destroys land and properties. Communities along the Awash river are and have been facing a severe problem. Even with a great amount of effort to re-cultivate farmlands that were destroyed during the previous flood, it has not been possible to do so over the past two years.

Schools have been destroyed by the previous floods also and schooling has been impacted for the past year. Children have been made to repeat the same school year due to this disruption.

The only solution in the eyes of Esha is to be able to manage the river flow. They are fearful as they have been informed that there will be increased rainfall in the coming weeks. As water collection is the responsibility of women, Esha hopes for additional water pipes in the community.