A Zambian woman hugs her two daughters on the front step of their brick home.

Habitat’s WASH strategy: Stories of impact

Habitat for Humanity sees a critical global need: Too many communities live without access to water, sanitation and hygiene, called WASH.

Lack of access to WASH creates unsafe, unhealthy conditions: water-borne illnesses, hours and income lost to fetching water, women and girls struggling to maintain menstrual hygiene, and more.

Our comprehensive, community-led WASH strategy not only helps thousands of families improve their lives and livelihoods, but our work also serves to advance health outcomes, environmental conservation, women’s empowerment, economic growth and education. 

See the impact of our work in the lives and communities below.

 

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Homeowner washes his hands in the sink.

Promoting health in Zambian communities

Habitat’s definition of decent housing includes access to clean water, something more than 40% of Zambians don’t have. By partnering with Habitat Zambia, many communities can now access clean, treated water.

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water-bucket

Water is life

In Zambia, many families are challenged every day to survive. Mathabo Makuta, national director of Habitat for Humanity Zambia, discusses problems with access to clean water and water borne diseases.  

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Photo: Two women and a child in front of a newly constructed latrine

A toilet is not just a toilet

When residents from the Dida-Yaokro and Chickwawa communities constructed toilets, their health improved, the school attendance increased and the environment got cleaner. 

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Photo: Children drinking water from a water point in Ethiopia

Leaving no one behind

Water crisis is felt most acutely by women who are responsible for water collection. Damme lives in Ethiopia and she used to travel more than six hours to fetch water from a nearby region. The water she collected was not even clean.

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ofid-habitat-for-humanity-signed-contract

Water for Peace Island

With funding from The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Habitat for Humanity will increase access to clean water, sanitation and waste management for 13,000 slum-dwellers in Monrovia, Liberia.

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girls-queuing-schoolyard-Chimaliro_school_Malawi

Keeping girls in schools

We call for gender parity and commit to put young schoolgirls and women at the heart of our water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives. Without proper sanitation facilities, they tend to miss school or dropout from classes.

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