UNICEF
Press release
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
World Water Day, commemorated each year on 22 March, focuses attention on the importance of freshwater to sustainable development. World Water Day 2012 emphasizes the importance of water to global food security.
A line of women and children curves around the wall of a defunct
hospital, now home to an Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) in the
Hodan District of Mogadishu.
At the entrance to the centre, which is run by UNICEF partner and
local NGO SAACID , a water tap, basin and soap sit invitingly. These are
life-saving resources for the families queuing outside the centre, many
of whom have been displaced by violence or food insecurity.
Lack of water devastated Somalia last year. It was the worst drought
in over two decades, leading to famine in several areas of the south.
While the situation has improved, 2.34 million people still require
life-saving assistance.
The water-nutrition connection
Safe water is still one of the most difficult commodities to come by
in Somalia, despite the above-average rains during the last rainy
season. The scarcity of this essential resource continues to challenge
the health of all Somalis. Women and children are hit particularly hard,
especially in areas experiencing continued food insecurity and
conflict.
Falastin lives with her three young children in a
displacement camp in the Tarabuunka area . She recently arrived from
Jowhar, Middle Shabelle , having been displaced by fighting in the area.
“We were fearful for our lives,” she said. “Everyone was saying there
would be fighting and bombardments.”
This is the fourth time she has visited this OTP to follow-up on the
health of her malnourished child. The centre receives between 350 and
400 children per day, and has a staff of 20. They are supported by
various organizations, including UNICEF, focusing on basic nutritional
and medical care. Their work includes raising awareness about the
importance of hand-washing and other good hygiene practices to protect
against illness and malnutrition.
“The link between bad
hygiene behaviour and illness, including malnutrition, is very clear,”
explained Nancy Balfour, UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
in Somalia. “Attempts to achieve household food security have failed in
many areas because people, especially children under five, are
repeatedly sick with diarrhoea and cannot absorb the food they are
given.”
Education is key
For SAACID, getting the word out about hygiene means getting the word
out about water. Safe water makes all the difference, but it is not
easy to access in makeshift camps housing tens of thousands of people.
Once
patients are discharged from UNICEF-supported OTP facilities, they
should receive a package of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) items
including buckets, soap and water purification tabs. “The WASH items we
provide include soap and water containers,” said Abdullahi Hassan Sahal,
SAACID coordinator for Hodan District . “We also demonstrate to them
how to properly wash their hands.”
A SAACID outreach team also
visits the camps to educate families about household water purification
and safe storage, teaching them how to properly wash their hands and
maintain good hygiene.
“As well as WASH facilities, the
education is key,” explained Ms. Balfour. “That’s why we support
awareness activities on the use of safe water and hygiene for patients
in the nutrition centre, including lessons on water treatment techniques
and hygiene practices in the household.”
The connection is clear: With fresh, safe water comes health for children, adults and entire communities.