Clean Water Project Brings Hope — and Better Health — to Children in Yemen
For hundreds of families in Al-Makha, Yemen, the "long walk" to water is finally over, thanks to a new water system built by UNICEF with partner support. No longer burdened with fetching water from faraway, often contaminated sources, the children of this coastal district are back in school — and healthier.
Clean, safe water no longer a luxury with new system serving thousands of vulnerable children
Lack of suitable water and sanitation services is a chronic problem in Yemen, where humanitarian needs are severe and chronic due to the country's prolonged conflict.
In Al-Makha, an historic district in Taiz Governorate, children have had to travel long distances to find safe drinking water, making them late for school. "The well was three hours away from the house," says Abdullah Ali, a 30-year-old father of four.
That was before UNICEF installed sustainable, modern water infrastructure to provide safe water to residents of three rural and two urban areas of the coastal district — 18,150 people total.
The sound of water flowing through pipes to new points in Al-Makha reflects the power of partnership — acts of restoration that bring hope to families that have lost everything to war and political crisis.
The new system, completed in December 2025 with support from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), combines high-capacity water storage with renewable energy use and supply. There is a solar-powered pumping unit with 60 solar panels; a new distribution network of pipes and a 12-meter tower tank capable of holding 60,000 liters of water.
Learn about how UNICEF helps improve access to safe water for children and families around the world
Before the project, residents of Al-Makha relied on water that often brought disease, putting additional strain on the region's already struggling health system.
Children would suffer from diarrhea after drinking contaminated water, Ali says. "But now the water is clean, and the situation is fine."
For UNICEF and its partners, the journey continues, the destination a future where children can be students, parents can be providers and everyone in Yemen lives in the safety of their homes — and where clean water is a right, not a luxury.
And with water services now extended to even small villages — and available with a simple turn of the tap — local children can spend their days learning rather than walking to distant sources in the hot sun.
For UNICEF and its partners, the journey continues, the destination a future where children can be students, parents can be providers and everyone in Yemen lives in the safety of their homes — and where clean water is a right, not a luxury.
UNICEF works in over 100 countries to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Support this lifesaving work with an unrestricted donation today.
This article is based on a story previously published by UNICEF Yemen
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