Access to water and hygiene ensures health and dignity

Eunice Kiako, from Congo, had to leave her country with her daughter two years ago, as their lives were in serious danger there.

They reached Greece through Turkey, after many hardships, and for over six months they stayed at the Moria Reception and Identification Center (RIC) in Lesvos, until it burnt to the ground in September 2020, leaving at least 12,000 people, of whom 4,000 children, without shelter and without protection. In Moria, Eunice had given birth to her son, who is almost two years old today, while her daughter, Naomi, is seven.

Following the transfer of the majority of residents of Moria to the RIC which started to operate in Mavrovouni, Eunice and her children had to adjust to the new site.

“Moria was not a good place and here it was not good in the beginning. But now we have new showers and we have new toilets, everything is much better and it makes my daughter happy,” says Eunice.

Last year in Mavrovouni, UNICEF completed the design and construction of the water and sanitation network for the residents of the RIC, with funding from the European Union (EU) and in cooperation with the Greek government, IOM and local stakeholders. This included the placement of 370 showers and 655 toilets, according to EASO quality standards, and making sure all beneficiaries in the RIC had access to clean drinkable water. At the same time, UNICEF made sure facilities were maintained and repaired, ahead of their management being taken over by the Greek state. Along with a number of partners, such as Movement On The Ground and Watershed, and together with volunteers, UNICEF ensured the maintenance and smooth operation of the facilities, in order for them to cater to the needs of all different groups residing in the RIC.

Emily Featherstone, volunteer coordinator of Movement On The Ground, UNICEF’s partner in the framework of the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) program in Mavrovouni, explains: “We have shower chairs, baby baths, shampoo and shower gel. We have community volunteer teams managing the WASH facilities, we want to make sure the residents of the camp are involved in the daily life, in the daily flow of the camp that they are living in.”

Eunice works as a volunteer with the organization Watershed, overseeing the good operation of the network facilities, something which satisfies her as an offer to the community and gives her a sense of optimism for the future for herself and her family.

“Working with Watershed is very good for me because it helps me and it also helps my family. I want my children to go to school, and for us to be healthy and have work, to be self-sufficient. A normal life like everyone else…”, concludes Eunice.

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities at the RIC in Mavrovouni served more than 3,000 people in 2021, while, throughout the year, UNICEF implemented a comprehensive information and health promotion program in the framework of prevention against the transmission of COVID-19.