Yemen Mohammed Al-Asbahi

Supporting others has always been a passion of mine, and I have always dreamed of translating this passion into a career; that’s what drew to me this kind of work. Through my work with CTG, we serve children, women, vulnerable IDPs, and host communities, supporting them by providing safe water and protecting water sources. We build, maintain and operate water and sanitation facilities, rehabilitate health centres and promote hygiene in cities.

People affected by crises are more susceptible to illness and death from disease, particularly diarrhoea and infectious diseases. Such diseases are strongly related to inadequate sanitation and water supplies. WASH programmes aim to reduce these risks. Our work manages the entire water supply chain: water sourcing, treatment, distribution, collection, household storage and consumption. Managing the entire sanitation chain enables healthy behaviours, and ensures access to personal hygiene products.

I am most proud of my work when I can help preserve a life of dignity for children, women, vulnerable IDPs, and host communities, by ensuring the minimum standards of WASH are provided through my work.

There were more than 5,856 families in the area who we helped obtain clean drinking water.

I also face challenges due to the complex security situation – the war in Yemen has been going on for more than 7 years and security threats restrict our movement especially between rural and urban areas. Because of the war, travelling may involve a 13 hour journey across bumpy roads. When the main roads were open, everything was much quicker.

There was a particular experience for me that will always stand out. We were working with one of the partners in the field for whom I was responsible – I supervised and reviewed the supply and installation of two solar water-pumping units in Al-Tahita Directorate in the centre of Hodeidah.

At the time, water was scarce, and the families in the area would have to wait between 5 and 10 days for not even a days’ worth of water. Women and children would have to travel very long distances with empty containers in search of water. To make matters worse, the area was located directly between warring forces, so it was a challenge to transport fuel to operate on the water wells. There were more than 5,856 families in the area who we helped obtain clean drinking water. Because of that, I consider it a rescue operation for the people of Al-Tahita and I want to thank our team and all the people who helped us to implement the project.

When I’m not working or visiting relatives and friends, I enjoy  reading and learning anything new. I volunteer to provide advice to my colleagues, as well as those who work in civil society institutions.

My father, mother, sister, and brother live in Sana’a governorate, and I have two sisters who live outside of Yemen. Living in Aden, I can only visit my family during vacations, fand it’s a difficult journey – sometimes as long as 16 hours on uneven roads. That’s why I have to succeed in my work because I have a family that helps and supports me, and who depend on me for my help.

My advice to someone wanting to follow in my footsteps is to keep building your skills and knowledge by taking industry related courses and participating in discussions. Learn from the experiences of other humanitarian workers to find solutions – you can ask anyone for advice when you do not understand. I participated in training on the official WASH Systems Academy, which is a key e-learning platform to professionals in this field. I’d advise anyone who wants to join this field to join their courses, which I was honoured to take, and provided a gold standard of advice.

Entering this field was difficult for me, but I did not give up. I built my capabilities and put pressure on myself so I wouldn’t let down the people who depend on me to help them.