Safe water, sanitation facilities and supplies for every child
In the aftermath of western Afghanistan earthquakes, UNICEF trucked safe water and delivered hygiene supplies to 27,300 people.
A series of earthquakes and aftershocks hit western Afghanistan in October 2023, killing more than 1,480 people, injuring close to 2,000 and affecting more than 275,000 people in nine districts. Over 30,000 houses were damaged, and 258 water systems were destroyed across the western province leaving children and families with no shelter, no safe water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Within 72 hours, UNICEF began delivering water to families, clinics, temporary learning centres and child friendly spaces, with support from the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.
Since October 2023, UNICEF has been trucking safe water through emergency water trucking to 27,300 people displaced by the earthquakes. At the height of winter, UNICEF continued to deliver, overcoming harsh weather and blocked roads to reach children and families.
UNICEF also installed 80 water reservoirs, 415 mobile toilets in villages, schools, child-friendly spaces and clinic and distributed hygiene supplies including buckets, jerrycans and water purification tablets to 4,060 affected people.
In addition to trucking water and providing essential hygiene items, support from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund enabled UNICEF to repair 21 broken water supply systems which are serving over 23,000 people.
During a crisis, when families have lost homes and property and are forced to live in crowded conditions, the risk of disease transmission, especially water-borne diseases is high. UNICEF supported the dissemination of hygiene messages to protect displaced children and families from diseases.
Throughout the affected villages, families also received information about available services including the daily water trucking, mental health support, temporary learning centres to keep children learning where schools were damaged and child friendly spaces which provide a safe environment for children to play and help them deal with the trauma they suffered.
