Water FAQ

WASH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
The main goal of WASH projects is to increase access to and use of safe water and sanitation.
This generally includes the installation, construction and/or rehabilitation of water projects in addition to building latrines and hand washing stations.

Islamic Relief’s WASH response inaims to reduce the increased risks to health that people affected by water scarcity in relation to water, sanitation and hygiene and disease outbreaks. By providing a communty with WASH Projects, we aim to:

• Improve the quality of life for the entire community
• Reduce the daily burden of collecting water
• Prevent the spread of water-borne diseases
• Ensure safety and security of the women and children tasked with collecting water
• The farmers will be able to increase crop and thereby improve nutrition levels
• Promotes better hygiene and sanitation

The process of the project involves:

• Conducting a geo-physical survey to determine the prime location for the project.
• Purchase of necessary equipment and material.
• The transportation of the equipment to the site of where the water system is being placed.
• The drilling and/or rehabilitation of the water system and quality assurance.
• construction of external well structures, such as; hand pumps, solar panels and/or water tanks.

When Islamic Relief builds a water system, we ensure communities have a sustainable source of clean water for years to come.
We recognise the risk of drought, displacement and disease and with over 30 years of expertise we know that simply drilling wells and installing water pumps cannot solve the water crisis.
We bypass short-term interventions and high running costs to instead provide long-term sustainable solutions which includes:

• Installing irrigation systems
• Building water tanks
• Training communities
• Distributing hygiene kits
• Rehabilitating viable water systems.

All our WASH implemented projects include culturally-sensitive hygiene and sanitation awareness sessions and the formation and training of community WASH committees.
This ensures the sustainability of the project, as community members are trained in the operation and maintenance.

Islamic Relief is present in 40 countries and aims to be the first to respond to emergency situations that require immediate intervention.
Part of our policy is to remain even after the initial emergency in order to assist communities to rebuild and thrive with long term sustainable solutions.
This includes:

• Material costs which accommodate for fuel, cement and other materials
• Filtration – if required
• Storage tanks
• Solar pumps
• Water points, water and quality testing
• Training of a water committee that oversees the maintenance and operation of the project

Islamic Relief makes a conscious effort to work in regions that have low water levels, which means that access to water is very hard and this has an effect on the cost.
The reasons for the variations include:

• The geophysical aspects of the land
• How deep the well needs to be drilled to reach safe water
• The remoteness of the location
• The cost of the required equipment
• Transport within that country
• Currency fluctuations

It can be difficult to cover the entire cost of the WASH project yourself, but you can contribute by donating any amount towards our water campaign.
Your financial gift will be leveraged for areas with the most urgent WASH needs.

We understand the importance of giving water and the immense need for this scarce resource, therefore we have set up 3 ways you can donate:

Water Catalogue – This catalogue introduces you to the variety of water projects we are implementing around the world, you can donate the full amount or contribute towards the project.

Water General Fund – the WGF allows you to donate to our water campaign in countries that need the most water aid which is facilitated by Islamic Relief

Water Crowdfunding Page – the crowdfunding page allows you to help us raise by creating your own crowdfunding page and rallying the support of family, friends and colleagues to reach your target.

Kindly note however, that we cannot provide any individual well reports if you opt for the general fund option.