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Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

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A female student smiles and washes her hands at the WASH facilities at Kampong Thmar Primary School, Kang Sao village, Santok district, Kampong Thom commune, Kampong Thom province on July 5, 2018.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Safe water, toilets and good hygiene keep children alive and healthy.

School children walking through flood waters

WASH and climate change

Making water, sanitation and hygiene services adaptive, safe and resilient.

On 24 September 2019 in Idlib in the Syrian Arab Republic, children carry water containers from a tanker to take into the displaced camp near the town of Taftanaz.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in emergencies

Serving children at risk and in times of crisis.

In late July 2015 in the Niger, with one of her two children in a sling on her back, Ramata, who is a member of the Fulani ethnic group, pumps water from a borehole into buckets, in the village of Yanja, Tillabéri Region.

Strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems

Planning, analysis and collaboration for better-informed programmes.

In South Sudan, UNICEF transformed an unprotected spring into a safe water source through the construction of a reservoir and treatment system and used solar systems to pump the water to tapstands, where the water is collected safely.

Solar-powered water systems

Solar power can vastly improve the reach and quality of water services.

In Djibouti, water is as precious as it is scarce. Since the drought started in 2007, rainfall has dramatically reduced and water levels in traditional wells have dropped forcing women and children to walk long distances for water.

Water scarcity

Addressing the growing lack of available water to meet children’s needs

Young girl washing hands.

Hygiene

Better hygiene leads to better health, confidence and overall growth.

Adolescent girls skip rope.

Menstrual hygiene

Gender inequality, cultural taboos and poverty can cause menstrual health needs to go unmet.

Children enjoy washing their hands with soap and clean water.

Handwashing

The simplest way to protect against a range of diseases.

Children help each other wash their hands with water and ash in the village of Gbandu.

Sanitation

Sanitation is essential to children’s survival and development.