Water is Life
Without water to drink, people can’t live. Without water for their crops and livestock, they can’t eat enough or earn a living. If their water isn’t clean, they won’t be healthy. If their water comes from a remote source, they have to spend their days carrying it instead of going to school or earning an income—this affects women and girls the most. Islamic Relief water and sanitation projects–both at the emergency and long-term levels–have been providing essential aid for many years. We believe in providing water for life. When we build a water system, we ensure communities have a sustainable source of clean water for years to come. We recognize the risk of drought, displacement, and disease and with over thirty years of expertise as a global Islamic Relief family, 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; installing irrigation systems, building water tanks, training communities, distributing hygiene kits, and rehabilitating viable water systems.
When we build a water system, we want to ensure that after we leave, the locals never need to ask for help accessing water again.
Clean water helps with:
- Hygiene
The use of latrines and handwashing stations can prevent potential sickness. - Time
The walk for water that used to take everyone 3 hours now takes 15 minutes. - Education
Kids can spend more time in school instead of going to search for freshwater.