Story

When water disappears, life becomes fragile — for families, their animals, and the ecosystems they share.

Across Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Uganda, and Kenya, communities face severe water shortages. Rivers and wells have dried up, crops are failing, and livestock struggle to survive. Wildlife — from antelope and giraffes to elephants and zebras — relies on the same scarce sources. People are forced to walk long distances, often risking their health and safety, just to fetch water for their families.

IFAW’s Water is Life campaign is responding to this urgent crisis. By providing clean, reliable water and supporting communities living alongside wildlife, we help families, and their animals survive and thrive. We work to:

• Build deep-water wells to provide sustainable water points that serve both people and their livestock.

• Establish safe water access points for communities living alongside wildlife to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

• Manage and maintain sustainable, long-term water solutions with local teams.

• Deliver emergency water supplies for families and their animals. 

• Provide feed and care for livestock, to ensure food security and help communities maintain their livelihoods, especially in times of drought.

And we need you — your compassion, your support, your generosity — to keep this lifeline flowing.

How Your Donation Helps

• $25 (100) – Provides clean water for families and animals for almost a week.

• $75 (275) – Supports local teams maintaining water points.

• $150 (550) – Repairs or builds water systems to serve more communities.

• $500+ (1,800) – Funds sustainable water infrastructure that can last for years.

Every contribution, large or small, ensures families and animals in the Horn of Africa can survive the dry season safely.

Join Us in Making Every Step Count

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