But Unicef is making a difference and has water programmes in 158 countries around the world. These are funded thanks to the generosity of our donors, including those who decided to leave a legacy gift in their Will.
Making a difference in Yemen
In Yemen, Unicef has solar powered water projects securing safe water for 2.5 million Yemenis, including 137,000 people in the city of Dhamar. This is where Nabil, his wife Salma and their three children live, having been forced to flee conflict in their hometown of Taiz.
The blockade of Yemen’s Hudaydah port had stopped supplies of fuel into the country needed for its’ infrastructure to function. So even in Dhamar’s relative safety, the family’s existence was perilous. Nabil and his family lived in inadequate housing with no reliable income. They struggled to find anything to eat or drink and once had to survive three days without a drop of water.
The family’s only source of water was from water trucks where the whole family would join long queues to get 20, sometimes 30 litres – just 4–6 per cent of what the UN recommend the family has each day.
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Nabil says: “The water tasted strange; it tasted odd.”
It didn’t affect the adults, but the water made three-year-old Mohammed ill. Suffering from a sore throat, vomiting and diarrhoea, he was diagnosed with cholera at the hospital.
Video: Unicef/Yemen, 2023
Water crisis affects safety and education
Nabil and Salma were distraught, convinced Mohammed was going to die. “I felt like our boy was done,” says Nabil. But thanks to his parents’ quick thinking and care, Mohammed made a full recovery. “When he got better, we were relieved as we saw our son well, and everything got better.”
Though, of course, Nabil and Salma’s worries weren’t over. With no dependable supply of clean water, any of their three children could catch a life-threatening disease – and the next time may not end happily.
As well as deadly diseases, the lack of safe water was impacting children’s education. Ensuring their families had enough water; many were forced to drop out of school to join the lengthy queues at the water tankers.
How safe water empowers local communities
Unicef’s €1.2 million solar-powered water project now provides safe, running water in Nabil’s apartment and to another 137,000 Dhamar residents. What’s more, the project is growing Yemen’s own sustainable skilled workforce. So, one day Nabil’s son Mohammed may grow up to become like Hasan.
Hasan is a 24-year-old engineer who supervises Dhamar’s huge solar-powered water system – ensuring the delivery of clean water to his community. “Unicef provided the panels, inverters, control devices and the entire system,” says Hasan.
Hasan sees his work as both a humanitarian service and a highly technical skill. He hopes others in Yemen learn skills like his, so his country isn’t reliant on outside technical assistance.
“It allows us to assist directly instead of waiting for other engineers to come from other countries,” explains Hasan. “This project has inspired me to create new solutions to problems.”
Sustaining a project like this is always complex, but this is even more true in Yemen, which remains in the grip of an ongoing conflict.
Video: Unicef/Yemen, 2023
Transforming lives with solar power
Yet, despite the difficulty, Unicef is partnering with Yemeni communities in another 149 solar water projects, reaching 2.5 million people with clean, safe water.
These projects connect clean water to schools, health centres – every aspect of community life. Moreover, at the same time they reduce consumption and reliance on fossil fuels. So far, fossil fuel consumption in these water systems has been reduced by up to 63 per cent in urban areas and between 80–100 per cent in rural areas.
The impact of such initiatives is clear: they generate and secure clean water sources for the future. They also stabilise communities by generating sustainable employment and combat the health and economic impact of unsafe and insecure water supplies.
Breaking the cycle of poverty and disease
Overall diarrhoea deaths attributable to unsafe water and sanitation declined by approximately half between 2000 and 2019. But we need to do more.
Experts tell us that globally, 1 in 4 children will live in areas with high water stress by 2040.
Unicef’s commitment to clean water initiatives is a core part of our organisational DNA. We have the world’s largest clean water programme to benefit children. This is why a gift in your Will to Unicef is vital to continue the investment in sustainable water programmes for children and break the cycle of poverty and disease.
Rewrite a child’s future with a legacy gift to children
Making a Will ensures our loved ones are taken care of. It’s also a reflection of our deepest values, giving us an amazing opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the lives of future generations of children.
To include a gift in your Will to Unicef the details you will need are:
Company: Unicef Ireland
Registered Office: 33 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1.
Registered Charity Number: 20008727
Revenue CHY Number: 5616
To receive your no obligation legacy guide which includes a Will Planner, contact our Legacy Gifts Manger: email: pauline@unicef.ie or 01 878 3000 or learn more on unicef.ie/legacy
For every child, safe water