CARE’s water and sanitation interventions improve quality of life in Southwest Yemen

Solar pumps

The story of the neighboring Al Krab village is slightly different. The only available water came from an open, shallow well. It wasn’t safe, and the water wasn’t clean either.

“To fill one jerrycan, we had to throw a bucket into the well three times. It was a tedious task. Children often fell into the well. Later, CARE helped restore the well, installed solar pumping system, and constructed water distribution points. The difference is huge. We can now drink clean water,” shares Aida Mohammed, one of the residents from the village.

Muatasim Ali, CARE’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Field Officer, adds, “we installed solar pumps, distribution points with taps, an animal drinking basin, and a 2.5 kilowatt solar panel. All 1,200 people in the village can now get clean water.”

Unlike Al Ashorah and Al Krab, the challenges faced by the residents of the Sina Area under the Al Mudhafer district in Taiz City had a different problem.

The sewage was open between houses, not in pits, and the residents suffered from contagious, water-borne diseases, including cholera and typhoid.

“We, especially the children, often had fevers, diarrhea, and vomiting. Mosquitoes, flies, and bad odors were common. The sewage water would overflow onto the streets.

“Now, the situation is different,” says Howreah Saeed, a Taiz City resident.”We can open our windows, and children can go outside and play. I also don’t feel embarrassed these days when family members visit us from other areas.”

In Taiz’s Al Mudhafer district, CARE built and repaired the sewage system, implemented a new sewage network, and constructed concrete manholes.

Over the past year, the water and sanitation program has been able to reach 836,578 people, but the needs are even greater still.

According to the Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2023, 15.4 million Yemenis still do not have proper access to water, sanitation, and hygiene; Over half of this population includes children.

“We have been able to cover only five out of 23 districts in Taiz,” says Salah Hamwi, CARE Yemen’s Assistant Country Director – Program. “We ask the international community to come forward and invest sustainably in Yemen so that we can provide communities with resilient WASH response and other activities that are durable. People in Yemen need your support.”