USAID is helping address the issues of access to safe water and sanitation in Yemen.
Yemen is experiencing one of the world’s worst water crises. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs have significantly increased due to destruction of infrastructure, large-scale displacements, lack of water resources management, and impacts of climate change. More than 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen, where a lack of essential health and WASH services increases the spread of communicable disease outbreaks in over 70 percent of the country, according to the United Nations Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs.
At least 50 percent of people report serious issues with water quality, and only 45 percent of Yemenis have access to hygiene products such as soap. Lack of access to potable water is one of the underlying causes of malnutrition in the country, undermining economic and social stability. In addition, deteriorating WASH infrastructure has contributed to a cholera outbreak and the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.
KEY RESULTS
Since 2018, USAID has helped more than 1.5 million vulnerable Yemenis access clean water, improved sanitation services, and better hygiene awareness sessions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera and COVID-19. USAID assistance has:
- Increased access to water for more than 650,000 beneficiaries through rehabilitation of water systems;
- Improved sanitation services for nearly 505,000 people through repaired sewage networks, installation of toilets and handwashing facilities at health facilities, and construction of household latrines;
- and Conducted hygiene promotions and behavior change sessions benefiting more than 425,000 Yemenis on hygiene practices for maximizing the health benefits of safe water sources and sanitation facilities and as a vital step to curbing diseases.
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