Safe Water
for Every Child
Every day, UNICEF workers brave war zones, treacherous terrain, disasters and disease to make the world a better place for kids. This includes delivering safe water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies. UNICEF reaches tens of millions of kids every year with critical WASH support.
Kids need UNICEF more than ever:
- There are 2 billion people in the world living without access to safe water at home and 1.7 billion lack basic sanitation.
- 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.
- 2 in 5 schools worldwide lack supplies and facilities students need to wash their hands.
- Severe drought linked to climate change is displacing entire communities, threatening child survival and healthy development.
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.”
Why donate to UNICEF? It's a smart way to make your money 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.
