Every day, UNICEF workers brave war zones, treacherous terrain, disasters and disease to make the world safe for kids. UNICEF reaches tens of millions of children around the world every year with critical water, sanitation and hygiene services and suppliesUNICEF provides critical water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies to tens of millions of kids every year
Kids need UNICEF now more than ever:
- There are 2 billion people in the world living without access to safe water at home. About 1.7 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services.
- Over 800 children under age 5 die every day from diseases linked to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation or poor hygiene.
- In conflict, children under age 5 are over 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe WASH than from violence.
- In many countries, a significant proportion of women and girls are unable to meet their menstrual health and hygiene needs.
- Roughly 2 in 5 schools worldwide have no water and soap for students to wash their hands.
- Water scarcity greatly affects 920 million children — impacting their health, development and long-term well-being.
- An increasing number of families — entire communities — are becoming displaced due to severe drought made worse by climate change.
- The continued loss of fertile land threatens to destroy the livelihoods of nearly 1 billion people in 100 countries by 2050 unless greater action is taken to mitigate and adapt to climate shocks.
Meet Yusto Katahoire, Chief Hygienist at Kikuube Health Center IV in Kikuube District, western Uganda. The first line of defense in the daily battle to control COVID-19, Katahoire was the first health worker at the center to test positive. But once he recovered, he was back on the job, making the hospital safer for children and families with the help of UNICEF-supplied personal protective equipment and training in infection prevention and control. “Yes, I’m very proud of what I do," Katahoire says, "and, yeah, I think I’m brave.”
Meet Yusto Katahoire, Chief Hygienist at Kikuube Health Center IV in Kikuube District, western Uganda. The first line of defense in the daily battle to control COVID-19, Katahoire makes the hospital safer for children and families with the help of UNICEF-supplied personal protective equipment and training in infection prevention and control.
Why donate to UNICEF? It's a smart way to make your money go further for children:UNICEF makes your online donations go further for children
- UNICEF gets results: Every year, UNICEF helps millions of families gain improved access to safe water services and basic sanitation.
- UNICEF tackles tough problems: Through UNICEF's COVID-19 response, 106 million people in 120 countries gained critical water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies.
- UNICEF is undeterred: Despite years of fighting in Yemen, with the nation's water supply under attack, UNICEF keeps safe water flowing to millions of people while delivering essential hygiene supplies.
- UNICEF innovates to reach more children: With partners, UNICEF develops and installs climate-resilient safe-water services — including solar-powered water systems — benefiting millions of children and their families.
- UNICEF knows keeping girls is school means meeting their hygiene needs: Through UNICEF programs, millions of girls and women in need receive emergency menstrual health and hygiene supplies, including essentials like sanitary pads and tampons, pain medication and soap.
- UNICEF reaches tens of millions of people with safe drinking water and basic sanitation every year.
- In war-torn areas, UNICEF helps give millions of people continuous access to water, sanitation and hygiene.
- Despite years of intense fighting in Yemen, UNICEF keeps safe drinking water flowing to millions of people.
- UNICEF provides menstrual hygiene supplies to meet girls' needs — helping them stay in school.
