In 2010, when we arrived to Ethiopia VPA found Awaro living in «huts«. The reason for this was twofold. The first part of it was economical: the just could not affort any other building materials. The second part was inevitable, because without the acces to water, it would have been impossible for them to properly work the building materials even if they had had access to them. We are talking about «houses» susceptible to collapsing in the wet season, on top of general subhuman conditions for the villagers. This is what motivated Project Beti.

The first thing we needed was water, and even though through Project Yeínisisati Gizhï they had access to donkeys that could carry some water for us, this was not enough. We started buying a 500 liter tank that served as a water collector, as well as a source of water to work the materials needed for the construction and rehabilitation of the houses. 

In 2013 we bought a second tank, making possible the rehabilitation of 4 houses by the end of that year, and the other 3 a year later.

The new houses gave them a place to call home after a whole nomadic life, and a starting point to work and educate their children.