Village water supplies means kids can go to school
Yemen | 2022 | CBPF
Yemen, Taiz and Al-Bayda governorates. When the nearest place to get clean water is far away, it’s a challenge for children like Amal, who lives in Al-Mukha, Taiz. As the eldest child it was her responsibility to get water for the household. Making it to school every day wasn’t possible. “I don’t want to waste my time waiting in lines for water, but it’s my responsibility,” she says.
Eight years into the conflict, Yemen is still in severe humanitarian crisis, and more than 21 million people need assistance. Basic service delivery across the country is inadequate, and about 17.8 million people lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation services.
Because of the conflict, it’s difficult to buy fuel, which in turn, has limited the delivery of safe water to households. Many water pumps in Amal’s village were out of order due to the fuel shortages. And water trucks are beyond most families’ budgets.
The situation was similar in Al-Sawadiya district – where people were forced to rely on expensive water trucks or rely in part on unsafe open-surface wells, because of the scarcity of water.
A reserve allocation of $2.58 million was made by the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, specifically to support WASH activities in this deepening water crisis.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), with the support of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, implemented a water project in Amal’s village, in Al Mukha. NRC built a 50,000-liter water tank with a solar powered water pump. NRC built 10 water points across the village, so that people didn’t have to travel long distances.
Now Amal can manage to get the water home and make it to school on time. “I don’t take all of the heavy jerry cans, and my hands don’t hurt anymore,” she says.
Meanwhile, in Al-Sawadiya, Yemeni NGO NFDHR constructed a similar water tank with a solar pump, and installed water pipes to supply the eight villages most in need of water. Residents there also commented that their children can now attend school more regularly, instead of spending the school day standing in line for water.
November 2022
More information on the Yemen Humanitarian Fund:
OCHA- POOLED FUNDS DATA HUB – By Country (unocha.org)
https://www.unocha.org/Yemen/about-yhf