UNICEF and International Islamic Charitable Organization partner to restore water access for 80,000 people and support nutrition for over 140,000 children in Gaza

KUWAIT, 21 October 2026 – For families in Gaza, finding water to drink and meeting a young child’s nutritional needs remain daily struggles. Two agreements signed today between UNICEF and the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) will help address these essential needs, supporting improved water access for approximately 80,000 people and nutrition supplies for more than 140,000 young children.

The partnership will help restore damaged wells and water networks and provide essential nutrition supplies during the early years of life, when adequate nourishment is critical to children’s growth and development.

Children’s health depends on both safe water and adequate nutrition. Damage to water infrastructure, shortages of essential supplies and constraints on humanitarian operations have made it increasingly difficult for families to secure either. For displaced families living in shelters, the disruption of these basic services adds to the challenges of protecting and caring for their children.

“No parent should have to struggle to find safe water or the food their child needs to grow,” said Lana Al-Wreikat, UNICEF Gulf Area Director. “We are grateful to the International Islamic Charitable Organization and its supporters in Kuwait for standing with children in Gaza. Their generosity will help turn solidarity into practical support: restoring water services for families and providing essential nutrition supplies for young children. Sustained support remains vital to protecting children’s lives, health and dignity.”

Through the water agreement, UNICEF and its partners will rehabilitate and maintain damaged wells, repair pumping equipment and connections to distribution networks, and improve water collection points. The work aims to restore more reliable water supplies for approximately 80,000 people, including displaced families in shelters.

The nutrition agreement will support the provision of ready-to-use complementary foods for children aged 6–23 months and multiple micronutrient powders for children aged 6–59 months. Reaching more than 140,000 children, these supplies will help fill gaps in young children’s diets and support their growth and development.

“We welcome this partnership with UNICEF as an important step towards strengthening our collective humanitarian response in Gaza. By expanding our efforts in water, sanitation and nutrition, we aim to address urgent needs and help protect children and the most vulnerable communities,” said Abdulrahman Al-Mutawa, Deputy Director General of IICO.

UNICEF will work with its partners to deliver and monitor both projects, combining technical expertise with support from IICO to reach children and families in need. Continued humanitarian support and access are essential to sustaining these services and ensuring that assistance reaches the children who depend on it.