Government of the Republic of Korea and UNICEF expand climate-resilient access to safe water for children and families in Afghanistan

KABUL, 22 October 2026 – UNICEF Afghanistan and the Government of the Republic of Korea have concluded a project that is helping children and families in some of Afghanistan’s most climate-vulnerable communities' access safe and reliable water closer to home.

With generous support from the Government of the Republic of Korea, UNICEF established and rehabilitated climate-resilient water supply systems, which includes 19 boreholes, solar-powered pumping systems, water reservoirs and distribution networks. The systems are helping protect over 39,000 children and their families from the growing impact of droughts, floods and other climate-related shocks by ensuring more reliable access to safe water for households, schools and communities.

The support comes at a critical time as Afghanistan ranks highest in South Asia for child vulnerability, with millions of children in the country exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, including droughts, floods, heatwaves, extreme heat, fires, and sand and dust storms. These hazards are disrupting the services children rely on to survive, learn and stay healthy, including access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

In Ghor Province, where many remote communities have long struggled with water shortages, the new systems are already changing daily life. In Jonobe Badrah village, for example, women and children once walked for hours through rocky mountain paths to collect water that was often unsafe. Today, a solar-powered borehole, installed by UNICEF with funding from the Government of the Republic of Korea, pumps water into an 80,000-litre storage tank above the village, bringing safe water closer to homes.

“Children in Afghanistan are already living on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and access to safe water is one of the most urgent ways to protect their health, dignity and future,” said Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan. “We are grateful to the Government of the Republic of Korea for its generous and timely support, which is helping children and families in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities withstand climate shocks, stay healthy, and keep learning.”

Through the project, UNICEF supported the drilling of new wells, rehabilitation of existing water supply systems, construction of reservoirs, installation of solar pumping systems, construction of new and repair of existing pipe networks, household connection, and water quality testing to ensure that communities have access to safe water.