World Water Day

Wais Rostami, 25, from Afghanistan, has been living with his family at the Mavrovouni Reception and Identification Center (RIC) in Lesvos since 2019. They arrived in Lesvos, like so many other displaced people, following a difficult journey and facing many adversities while crossing to Greece from Iran and Turkey. At the time, his wife was pregnant with their son, who was born after their arrival in Greece, and is now 2 ½ years old.

Wais remembers the first time the family stayed in Moria as a dark period. "Moria was not a place for people to live," he said, echoing the views of many of the refugees and asylum seekers who lived for a long time in the former Lesvos RIC, before it burned to the ground in September 2020. Around 12,000 people, including 4,000 children were rendered homeless.

Today, he and his family live in the new RIC in Mavrovouni, where most people were evacuated after the Moria disaster, and where UNICEF, among other services, with funding from the European Union (EU) and in cooperation with the Greek government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and local agencies, completed the design and construction of the water supply and sewerage network in 2021. The design process was completed after extensive consultation with different groups of people, such as pregnant women, people with disabilities, the elderly, etc. explains Jean McCluskey, Manager of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program (WASH) of UNICEF in Lesvos.

The project included the installation of durable and high quality facilities, compliant with EASO standards, such as 370 showers and 655 toilets, and ensures the supply of clean and drinkable water for all RIC beneficiaries. At the same time, through its cooperation with a number of partners, UNICEF takes care of the maintenance and repair of the facilities, until the Greek State takes over their management.

"It's much better here, we have electricity, food, toilets and showers," said Wais, who also works as a volunteer at the RIC, helping to maintain facilities by repairing door and lock damages. The contribution of the community volunteers, many of whom are themselves residents of the RIC, in the management and maintenance of WASH facilities in the area, proved to be invaluable, as, in addition to its practical input, it significantly encouraged the participation of beneficiaries in their community and the accountability of all for critical issues concerning the public interest.

For Wais, the safety and dignity of living conditions for himself and his family are a top priority: "We came here to be safe and to build a better life, we want safety for our family," he said.

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.