Mariam Housein, a resident of Ali-Addeh in Djibouti, shared the challenges her family faced due to limited educational facilities. "My older children had to drop out of school because there was no secondary school in our village," she said. The village, home to about 4,000 people and one of Djibouti's largest refugee camps, struggled with access to essential services.
With support from a local savings group, Mariam expanded her small clothing business into a successful handicraft shop. She recounted the difficulties before the introduction of electricity: "Before, our village had little access to electricity. At night, we lived in darkness."
The Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP), funded by the World Bank and active from 2017 until June 30, 2024, aimed to improve conditions for displaced populations and host communities in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. In Djibouti's Ali Sabieh region, DRDIP focused on enhancing infrastructure and services.
In Ali Addeh, DRDIP increased the solar power plant capacity from 62.1KW to 340KW and extended basic utilities like water networks and sanitation facilities. This brought electricity to 354 households and opened new opportunities for education with a secondary school.
Across areas such as Obock and Holl Holl, more than 110,000 people benefited from improved services due to DRDIP's initiatives. Approximately 54,000 gained access to renewable energy sources. Additionally, sub-projects created short-term workdays and provided financial support through grants and training.
Mariam expressed pride in her children's achievements: "Now my youngest children have graduated from school." She also joined a women's affinity group that enabled her entrepreneurial growth through interest-free loans.
Fatoumata Assoweh Warsame from Holl Holl shared similar success after receiving a solar-powered pump through DRDIP. "Diesel was eating into my income," she noted about previous challenges before adopting solar technology for farming.
Mariam continues expanding her business ventures beyond Ali Addeh with plans for further growth in Djibouti city during national events like Independence Day celebrations.