Skip to main content
Read Stories Donate Now Give Monthly
Trending Search Topics:
  • k.i.n.d.
  • ways to give
  • tax rules
  • donation
    • What Unicef Does
      • Children's Education
      • Every Child Educated
      • Child-Friendly Schools
      • Equity
      • Girls' Education
      • Kids In Need of Desks (K.I.N.D.)
      • Learning Passport
      • Children's Health
      • Every Child Healthy
      • Breastfeeding
      • Community Health Workers
      • Immunization
      • Mental Health
      • Nutrition
      • Water
      • Children's Protection
      • Every Child Protected
      • Birth Registration
      • Child Migrants & Refugees
      • Child Poverty
      • Child Trafficking
      • Peacebuilding
      • Climate Change
      • Climate Financing
      • Climate and Health
      • Climate and Youth
      • Emergency Response
      • Relief for Every Child
      • Conflict
      • Earthquakes
      • Food Crises
      • UNICEF Supply Division
      • Weather Disasters
    • Parenting
      • Respect for Children
      • Every Child Respected
      • Child Friendly Cities
      • Children with Disabilities
      • Children's Rights
      • Equality for Girls
      • Innovation
      • Where UNICEF Works
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Middle East
      • North America
      • South America
    • About UNICEF USA
      • Careers
      • Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Open Positions
      • Finances
      • Annual Report
      • Financial Disclosure
      • Leadership
      • National Board of Directors
      • National Advisory Council
      • Leadership Team
      • Advisory Boards
      • NextGen
      • Youth Leadership
      • Partnerships
      • Companies
      • Foundations
      • Humanitarian Organizations
      • Our Supporters
    • Community Alliance for Child Rights
    • How to Help
      • Advocate
      • How We Work
      • Donate
      • Donate Monthly
      • Every Child Fund
      • IMPACT Fund for Children
      • Donors & Philanthropists
      • Donor-Advised Funds
      • Planned Giving
    • Fundraise
    • Impact Investing
    • UNICEF Clubs
    • Ways To Give
Donate Now Read Stories

Utility Menu

  • Shop
  • Sign In
UNICEF USA
Read Stories Donate Now Give Monthly
Trending Search Topics:
  • k.i.n.d.
  • ways to give
  • tax rules
  • donation
WE WON'T STOP UNTIL EVERY CHILD HAS SAFE WATER

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. What UNICEF Does
  3. Children's Health

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 (WASH) services and supplies. UNICEF reaches tens of millions of children every year with critical WASH support.

Donate Now

Kids need UNICEF more than ever:

  • When children don't have access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, it affects their health, nutrition and learning. Yet 2.2 billion people in the world live without access to safe water at home and 1.9 billion lack basic sanitation.
  • Diseases linked to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and poor hygiene kill more than 1,000 children under age 5 every day. In conflict, diarrheal disease causes many more child deaths than violence.
  • Handwashing with soap and water is a proven, cost-effective method of infection prevention and control — yet 42 percent of schools worldwide lack the supplies and facilities students need to wash hands, and only half of health care facilities globally have basic hygiene services at points of care.
  • Severe drought linked to climate change fuels displacement and food insecurity, impacting children's nutrition and education and heightening risks of child marriage and child labor.

Donate and Support

Meet Yusto Katahoire, Chief Hygienist at a Uganda health center

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 innovates: With partners, UNICEF develops and installs climate-resilient safe-water services — including solar-powered water systems, which can withstand climate shocks, pump water from deeper levels below the ground, store water to mitigate against drought and enhance the overall quality of water services — making water more readily accessible to schools, health care facilities and entire communities.
  • UNICEF is undeterred: Despite years of fighting in Yemen, for example, with the nation's water supply under attack, UNICEF keeps safe water flowing to millions of people while delivering essential hygiene supplies.
  • UNICEF knows keeping girls in 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.

 

Meet UNICEF Workers Helping Kids Around the World

Meet Anita
EVERY CHILD HEALTHY
Meet Anita
Meet Kabiligi
EVERY CHILD EDUCATED
Meet Kabiligi
Meet Birma
EVERY CHILD SAFE
Meet Birma
Meet Razaqah
EVERY CHILD NOURISHED
Meet Razaqah
Meet Phien
EVERY CHILD PROTECTED
Meet Phiên
Meet Kynan
EVERY CHILD RESPECTED
Meet Kynan

Meet Kids Helping Kids Around the World

Ukraine's Youth Help Children Build a Healthier FutureMeet Ivanna
Samer, Boy Champion for Menstrual Hygiene, Breaks Taboos in SudanMeet Samer
Fighting Air Pollution in UzbekistanMeet Zulfia
UNICEF Youth Groups Fight Child Marriage in EthiopiaMeet Mereke

Donate Now

Recommended Stories

A mother and her two children at the temporary refugee relocation site in Tiné, Chad, near the border with Sudan.

In Chad, Emergency Aid for Refugee Children Fleeing Sudan Conflict

After more than two years of civil war in Sudan, a massive wave of displacement has created a deepening humanitarian crisis in neighboring Chad.
Read More
In Blue Nile state, Sudan, girls sit under a bed net provided by UNICEF to prevent malaria, a mosquito-borne illness.

UNICEF Protects Children in Sudan as Malaria, Cholera Cases Rise

Another devastating impact of Sudan's conflict on children: a heightened risk of contracting a preventable disease like malaria or cholera. [video]
Read More
On May 22, 2025, Fares Nassar, 8 months old, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp after an airstrike targeted the Al-Hasayneh School, housing displaced Palestinians.

Children Struggle to Survive as Situation Deteriorates in Gaza

Intensified military operations in Gaza are magnifying the danger for children already suffering after 19 months of war. [video]
Read More
Children with family belongings at the Omari Camp reception center at Afghanistan's eastern Torkham border with Pakistan.

A Safe and Dignified Return for Afghan Families, With Support From UNICEF

In partnership with the Government of China, UNICEF ensures that returning Afghan families reach home with essential hygiene supplies. [video]
Read More
See all
Be An Active Supporter

Be an Active Supporter
Be the first to know about UNICEF's humanitarian relief efforts in times of emergency.

Lead Gen

Main navigation

  • What Unicef Does
    • Children's Education
    • Children's Health
    • Children's Protection
    • Climate Change
    • Emergency Response
    • Parenting
    • Respect for Children
    • Where UNICEF Works
  • About UNICEF USA
    • Careers
    • Finances
    • Leadership
    • Partnerships
    • Community Alliance for Child Rights
  • How to Help
    • Advocate
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
    • Impact Investing
    • UNICEF Clubs
    • Ways To Give

Footer

  • Media Hub
  • UNICEF Reports
  • Stories of UNICEF in Action
  • Manage Cookies
UNICEF USA

Contact Us | (800) 367-5437  |  125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
©2025 U.S. Fund for UNICEF d/b/a UNICEF USA. All Rights Reserved.
U.S. Fund for UNICEF d/b/a UNICEF USA is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Gifts are deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations.

Charity Navigator Four-Star Award
Guidestar Transparency Seal

Subfoot Menu

  • Cookie Policy
  • Policies & Disclosures
  • Terms of Use
  • FAQ