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Where the Sun Brings Water and Peace in Ethiopia
In Burra Town, in the Sidama Region of Ethiopia, a solar-powered water system is doing more than pumping clean water. It is shortening long walks, easing daily burdens, creating youth livelihoods, and bringing neighbouring communities together.
For families in Burra Town, the search for water once shaped the rhythm of the day. A diesel-powered water pump that should have supplied the community had been out of service for an extended period, leaving many residents without reliable access to safe water.
Milling grain was another hardship. The nearest mill was 20 to 40 kilometres away in Daye Bensa, and some families had to carry maize by hand for hours before it could become food on the table.
Today, the same community walks a different path. With financing from Norwegian Church Aid Ethiopia and implementation by AgriSun Ethiopia, the old diesel-run water supply system has been converted to solar power. The 30-kilowatt pump can now meet Burra Town’s entire daily water demand in just two hours of effective sunshine, without the daily fuel costs that once limited reliability.
But the project does not stop when the water tanks are full.
The system generates about 270 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, while pumping water requires only about 90 kilowatt-hours. Instead of letting the remaining power go unused, the project channels surplus solar energy into two locally engineered 5.5-kilowatt grain mills.
Each mill can process up to 200 kilograms of grain per hour, together producing as much as 1,600 kilograms of flour per day.
For households nearby, that means the mill is no longer a distant destination but a service within reach, about 200 metres from some homes. For young people, it also means work.
The income-generating activities linked to the mills are expected to benefit 10 previously jobless youth, offering them a way to earn a living while providing a needed service to the community.
Water and Peace: Two Sides of a Coin
The project is also designed with peace in mind. Burra’s water and milling services are intended to strengthen social cohesion between communities in the area, complementing ongoing peacebuilding work.
About 15,000 people are expected to benefit from improved clean water supply, while around 2,000 people will be reached with hygiene messages through community conversations. The project is implemented with local partners, government actors, and community contributions, including free labour, with funding support from Equinor and the Schøyen Human Rights Foundation in Norway.
In Burra, solar power is not only replacing diesel. It is turning sunlight into drinking water, flour, jobs, and shared spaces; the kind of infrastructure that helps a community meet its needs while building trust for the future.
Easing the Burden for Women
For many women in Burra town, preparing food for their families has long meant more than cooking. It has meant travelling long distances, paying high transport costs, and spending hours grinding grain by hand when milling services were out of reach. For Burtu Geraro, a mother of six children living from Burra, this burden was part of everyday life.
Burtu earns her living by selling cooking ingredients such as shiro, berbere, beso, and other food items in the local market. Alongside her business, she cares for her four daughters and two sons. Until recently, grinding maize, wheat, or sorghum required her to travel to Daye Bensa town, often hiring a motorcycle and spending around ETB 1,000 for each trip.
When transport costs were too high, she had no choice but to grind grain manually at home using a traditional stone mill. The work was exhausting and time-consuming, adding to the daily responsibilities already carried by women in the household.
The challenge also affected her children. Whenever W/ro Burtu travelled to Bensa, her children had to take over household chores and help with the family business, sometimes affecting their school attendance.
“I am very happy that this grain mill has been brought to our community. The mill is ready and can grind grain, and we are eagerly waiting for the service to officially start. I believe it will make a big difference in our daily lives.” - Burtu
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