Agua, medio ambiente y saneamiento

Historias reales

© UNICEF/HQ96-1166/Pirozzi

Varios niños y niñas beben agua de una bomba de mano instalada con fondos del UNICEF en la escuela Nthombimbi, en Zambia.

Las actividades más eficaces del UNICEF en materia de agua, saneamiento e higiene han sido la intervención en casos de emergencia, la movilización de las comunidades, el suministro de agua e instalaciones sanitarias para las escuelas primarias y el apoyo a las iniciativas de desarrollo en la primera infancia.

Las historias (algunas en inglés) que se relatan a continuación son una introducción al alcance y los efectos de las actividades del UNICEF en el sector de agua y saneamiento, y una muestra de cómo les cambian la vida a las personas.

Afghanistan: water and sanitation services under fire
With over 35 years of work on the ground in Afghanistan, UNICEF has built trust within communities and is able to provide emergency water and sanitation services under extreme circumstances.

UNICEF and Afghan Ministry of Health combat disease by recruiting women to teach
Arzow Saadat is a woman with a mission. As a health education supervisor in Herat, her job is to make sure that the four female educators in her charge understand everything there is to know about health and hygiene and that they pass their knowledge on to some 2,000 people spread across the region.

Agua potable y saneamiento mejorado para una escuela en Tamil Nadu
POBLADO DE PANCHAYAT, India, 25 de enero de 2005 - Más de la mitad de todas las escuelas en los países en desarrollo carecen de instalaciones adecuadas para proporcionar agua potable y saneamiento a los estudiantes. Esto pone en peligro la salud de millones de escolares y representa un obstáculo para su educación. Pero en Tamil Nadu, India, el UNICEF colabora con el gobierno local para proporcionar agua potable y letrinas adecuadas a los niños y las niñas en la escuela.

Indonesia: Water and sanitation and the 'little doctors'
The mothers of Banjar Sari in Indonesia beam with pride as they watch their children performing in the primary school play. But the mothers are more than entertained by the young actors, they are also learning valuable lessons.

Mozambique: children lead the way
Throughout the outlying area of Beira City in central Mozambique, young people are transforming dank and dirty schools into healthy, inviting places of learning. Children as young as seven are the messengers, educating their peers, their families and their communities about the importance of safe water, good hygiene and private, separate sanitation facilities.

Nicaragua: young and old form a powerful partnership
Not long ago, the people of Piedras Grandes, Nicaragua would trudge down to the river and lug its unsafe water back to their homes. The river was the only source of the village's drinking water. As a result, water-borne illnesses affected many children and their families. Something had to be done.

Nigeria: community-wide benefits from water and sanitation and girls' education
In Nigeria, the road to the Millennium Development Goals is a holistic journey. Whether working towards reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and guinea worm, or ensuring environmental stability, the water and sanitation sector is a key ingredient.

Zimbabwe: a new well allows Shupikai to return to school
Shupikai, a shy 11-year-old in Zimbabwe's impoverished Binga district, had no choice but to drop out of school when her mother fell sick with tuberculosis and persistent diarrhoea.