Digaale Climate Resilience

Alight is fundraising to support Digaale's climate resilience. In Somaliland’s Digaale settlement, families internally displaced by prolonged drought and other extreme weather events, are co-creating a future of dignity. Together, we are designing climate-smart homes, reliable water systems, and sustainable livelihoods together with Alight, creative partners, and the city of Hargeisa. As the frequency of natural disasters intensifies across the Horn of Africa, your partnership can help scale this community-led blueprint for resilience, ensuring families not only survive today, but thrive for generations to come.

INVEST IN CHANGE

Digaale: Redefining Resilience, Together

When Alight and the City of Hargeisa began planning for Digaale’s future, the first step was not to design houses or lay pipelines. It was to sit with families. In small group discussions, men and women described what dignity looked like for them: a home with more than one room for privacy, a yard to keep goats or grow vegetables, and windows that could open to catch the cool evening air. They imagined not just shelter, but a place to rebuild life after displacement.

These conversations shaped every detail of the Digaale blueprint. Architects adjusted home designs based on resident feedback, while women’s groups prioritized water access and safe spaces for children. A cooperative was formed so that the community itself will manage the new water system, ensuring both ownership and long-term sustainability. As Hodan explained, “The most important feedback we receive is that the community does not need a handout. What they need from us is to co-create, to understand their life, to understand who they are and where they want to go.”

Digaale is becoming more than a settlement. It is proof that when communities co-create their future, resilience is not imposed. It grows from within. With your support, this partnership of vision and voice can be a model for sustainable development across East Africa, ensuring that displacement is not the end of the story, but the beginning of newly imagined futures.

Co-creating a Blueprint for Resilience

Digaale, once planned for 800 households, now shelters over 1,400 families uprooted by drought and conflict. Together with residents, Alight has co-designed climate-smart housing that includes solar power, water harvesting, and space for small-scale farming. This community-driven model is redefining what resilience looks like in the face of prolonged displacement.

‍

Water Security Powered by Community

With 70% of Digaale residents lacking reliable water access, co-creation has been key to shaping solutions. The Digaale Water Cooperative, designed and led with residents, will expand pipelines, reduce costs, and empower families to manage their own future. By investing in water, we invest in the health, agency, and resilience of the entire community.

‍

More Than Shelter, A Shared Future

Resilience in Digaale means much more than a roof overhead. Residents have guided designs for homes with yards for goats and gardens, alongside new roads, schools, markets, and clinics that connect them to Hargeisa’s economic and social life. With your partnership, Alight is proving that when communities co-create, displacement can give rise to thriving futures.

Let's Connect

Behind every opportunity in the Alight Impact Market is the story of displaced customers and their communities: one of resilience and possibility. If you’re curious to explore how you can support us, we’d love to connect. Our team can share the context that brought these opportunities to life and how you can support displaced communities in building bold, thriving futures.
‍
Schedule a meeting with Alight's Global Partnership Development Manager, Stephen Robertson or email him directly at stephenr@wearealight.org.

schedule now