The difference shows in the walls she is smoothing.

When water is available, the mud mixture binds more firmly. She can repair cracks before they widen. She does not have to choose between drinking water and maintaining her shelter. “I can fix my house properly now,” she says. “Before, it was difficult.”

Her children attend school more consistently because they are not sent to fetch water repeatedly. Cooking is less rushed. Hygiene has improved. “We can wash more often,” she says simply.

The improvement is not abstract. It is measured in time saved and tension reduced.

Before, water collection meant waiting in long queues under the sun. Disputes broke out when supply slowed. “There were many people and sometimes arguments,” she recalls. “Everyone needed water.”

Now, the atmosphere around the water point feels different. People move in and out steadily. The system is more organized. “It is calmer,” she says. “We collect and go home.”

The project in Gambela did not only repair infrastructure. It strengthened access for communities who depend entirely on shared systems. For refugees like Nyaluak, who do not own land and cannot easily generate income, stable water access is foundational.

She runs her hand across the wall again, checking for cracks. The clay holds.

“Before, most of my time was for water,” she says. “Now I can use my time for other things.”

She tends to her household more carefully. She participates in community life. She watches her children return from school with exercise books under their arms. These are quiet shifts, but they accumulate.

For Nyaluak, dignity is practical. It is being able to maintain her shelter without borrowing water from a neighbour. It is cooking without calculating every cup. It is sending children to school clean and on time.