La historia del Sáhara Occidental es una historia de resistencia, una de saqueo y una de colonialismo. Es una historia envuelta en ignorancia y misterio, ya que rara vez se discute en los medios internacionales.
Gueguerat is a small village located at the far southwest of Western Sahara, inching 11 km away from the border with Mauritania. Currently, it is under the control of Morocco, “which [they] regard as vital to trade with sub-Saharan Africa.” (Middle East Monitor).
¿Qué es lo que está sucediendo en Guerguerat?
La soberanía del Sáhara Occidental se disputa entre el gobierno marroquí y el Frente POLISARIO (Frente Popular para la Liberación de la Saguía El Hamra y Río de Oro) desde 1975. Fue en ese año que España decidió por fin retirar su poder colonial del territorio. A pesar del anhelo y lucha por la independencia del pueblo saharaui y la promesa de un referéndum para la autodeterminación por parte del gobierno español, el territorio del Sáhara Occidental fue cedido a Marruecos y Mauritania en los
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Branching Out
Under the Sun team has committed to two main projects that are referred to as 'branches', focusing on gathering the necessary resources for people in the refugee camps to lead a life with security.
The Tindouf refugee camp has limited access to water. Although largely populated towns with more than 40000 people have proper sewage systems and running water, Tindouf does not. Only a few people have access to water, and the water source is neither clean nor abundant for the population in the camp. Residents in the camp solely depend on foreign organizations to gain access to clean water. Support from the foreign countries sends people to drive big trucks of water to regular sites, estimated to be 202 euros per delivery. Considering that the camp is far away from major cities, they bring water every two weeks. The water is further stored in tanks of unsanitary conditions. Since there is no proper maintenance for the tanks, they are deteriorating fast with worsening rust. It causes corrosion, cracks, and breaks in the tank, which contributes to the leaks. We have seen similar conditions throughout the camp.
New tanks that we are proposing to change have one tonne more volume for holding capacity. It also has insulation to keep the water temperature down and prevent it from warming up. We expect the families to be able to clean these tanks after regular usage. The estimated cost of installing the five water tanks will be approximately 1100 U.S. Dollars.
The project will create a difference to the big households in the refugee camp when the sense of urgency is not yet evoked through the sanitary problems present. Stated as the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations would like to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” (Source). We wish to help progress the security of water in the refugee camps by targeting those who are the most vulnerable to unhygienic conditions.
By seeking a long-term solution, we hope to eliminate the presence of microbiological infested water in camp, while improving the public health conditions of the refugee community.
"It was a frightening night; the first night my family set our house up we thought it would keep us safe, but now we see the water seeping in. The houses in the refugee camp are hand-built mud-brick houses. The houses are not strong enough since they are made out of a mix of water and sand and as a result, they keep tumbling down due to heavy rain or strong wind. That night the rain did not seem to stop, we had nowhere to go, everyone from the neighborhood had run for safety in the mountains. Everyone that I knew was there, I still remember how we all watched our houses falling down."
Despite the fact that building materials are cheap, and the buildings are simple, some families were unable to rebuild the houses. The most common reasons for this are old age, disabilities, or that the people have other immediate needs such as blankets to spend on. Some people stayed in their half-broken houses, others stayed in fabric tents in the cold winter and the sweltering heat of the Saharan summers. Such is the plight of Saharawi children every two/three years.
Sahrawi refugees continue to face this issue and there is an immediate need to remedy this situation. Our project aims to build homes for those in need, for those who cannot afford to rebuild their damaged house.
The Sahrawis' refugee camp is in the middle of the desert in South-western Algeria, the Sahrawis fled there over 44 years ago. These families in the refugee camps are entirely dependent on foreign aid for fulfilling basic human needs- food, gas, medicine, and water since they lack a steady source of income.