Water, one in four people in the world do not have access to clean water: the problem affects millions of people in Syria, Yemen and Ethiopia

ROME – Even today, one in four people in the world does not have access to sources of clean water for drinking or washing, while half of the world’s population – over 3.6 billion people – cannot count on adequate sanitation services. In countries affected by conflicts, natural disasters or the climate crisis, the lack of water multiplies the victims, exposing populations to epidemics such as cholera, Covid or typhoid. Dirty or unsafe water can be up to 20 times deadlier than direct violence in protracted conflict settings such as Syria, Yemen or Ukraine, particularly affecting children and women.

The OXFAM Campaign and solidarity number. To ensure clean water and adequate sanitation for as many people as possible, OXFAM Italy – humanitarian organization that fights against the injustice of poverty and inequality – launches fundraising campaign “Donate water, save a life“. From 13 March to 5 April, the period in which World Water Day is celebrated, it will be possible to offer a small but precious contribution with a Solidarity SMS or call from landline to 45593.

SYRIA

Syria: cholera, earthquake and 12 years of war. 12 years after the beginning of a conflict that has produced the most serious refugee crisis in the world and killed hundreds of thousands of people, Syria is having to face yet another crisis. The devastating earthquake of 6 February caused more than 4,500 victims and more than 8,500 injured. In the most affected cities, such as Aleppo, Hama, Idleb, Latakia and Tartous, hundreds of thousands of people are now forced to live in unspeakable conditions in temporary centers such as mosques, schools, sports centres, parks or even cemeteries. Places where there is a lack of clean water, food, blankets, medicines, exponentially increasing the risk of new cholera epidemics, with already 50,000 registered cases.

One in two Syrians depends on humanitarian aid. It is necessary to survive: and over 11 million people lack access to clean running water. Even before the earthquake, 90% of the population lived below the poverty line, because they were affected by the economic crisis and by the inflation generated by the war in Ukraine. An emergency to which Oxfam is responding in the areas destroyed by the earthquake, such as Aleppo, to bring basic necessities, above all clean water and sanitary kits to tens of thousands of displaced people. The teams of oxfam they are also working to respond to the enormous needs of the population in the most affected areas in Turkey, to speed up the setting up of adequate camps and shelters; bringing basic necessities, food, blankets, clean water and hygiene kits to the displaced.

The effects of the earthquake. The earthquake struck 13 million people in the country – 1 inhabitant out of 6 – over 12,000 buildings were destroyed and many others are in danger of collapsing. Here too, hundreds of thousands of families find themselves having to make do in small makeshift shelters, without toilets and without running water. Nor should we forget the over 5.6 million Syrian refugees who have largely found safety in neighboring countries such as Turkey – from where dramatically many are once again fleeing due to the earthquake – or Jordan, which hosts in Za’ atari, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, where over 80,000 Syrians live.

YEMEN

Eighteen million people without water after 8 years of war. Six months of truce in 2022, broken last October, and Yemen is once again on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe. Brought to its knees by the huge increase in food prices in the context of the global food crisis. The country will in fact enter the ninth year of one of the bloodiest wars in recent history on March 26: over 100,000 victims of which more than 19,000 civilians; more than 4.3 million internally displaced people in refugee camps; half of health facilities destroyed and key infrastructure such as water out of service or damaged. The inflation of food and other essential goods following the Ukrainian conflict has had tragic consequences in a country that 42% depended on grain imports from Ukraine. As a result, most of the population does not know where their next meal will come from or where to get clean water: 23.4 million people – almost three quarters of the population – depend on international aid, including 17.4 million affected by malnutrition and nearly 18 million without access to clean water and basic health care.

ETHIOPIA

It hasn’t rained in the Horn of Africa for 5 years. In Ethiopia, in the Tigray or Amhara regions, there are millions of displaced people fleeing local conflicts and an unprecedented drought which afflicts all of East Africa, where it hasn’t rained for five years.

UKRAINE

Another 18 million people depend on humanitarian aid. More than a year after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, more than 44 million people have had their lives turned upside down or destroyed. Repeated airstrikes that have targeted civilian infrastructure across Ukraine in recent months have left millions of people without electricity, water and heating, compromising the ability to provide these services across the country. During the winter, many found themselves stranded in areas where there were no longer hospitals, schools and water systems: at the moment over 18 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid and for 6 million internally displaced people the situation is increasingly desperate. To deal with this emergency oxfam is intervening, together with local partners, in the areas of Odessa, Kiev, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Znytormyrska, to help the population by rebuilding the water infrastructure, providing basic necessities and sanitation kits. In Italy, Oxfam is working to provide legal, psychological, housing and health assistance to hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, among the more than 170,000 who have arrived in our country.

Job opportunities and training for refugees. “Thanks to the funds raised with the Campaign, in addition to intervening alongside Ukrainian refugees, we will be able to help over 300,000 people in the most serious emergencies underway, with particular attention to women. In countries such as Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia and the occupied Palestinian territories, we will be able to guarantee access to water and sanitation to the poorest communities and thus improve their health and food security. – explains Emilia Romano, president of Oxfam Italy – We will be able to offer job and training opportunities to Syrian refugees in the Za’atari camp in Jordan or to young people in the most depressed areas of Lebanon, where there are still 1.5 million Syrians today. At the same time we will strengthen the capacity of adaptation to the impact of the climate crisis of the inhabitants of some of the most affected cities in Malawi, Mozambique, the Comoros Islands and Madagascar”.

What is OXFAM. It is a global movement of people working in Italy and in 87 countries around the world to fight inequality and eliminate the injustice of poverty. “Together – reads the note released by the NGO – we save lives in humanitarian emergencies, carry out sustainable development activities with local communities, propose responsible lifestyles, lobbying for fairer rules that fight inequality and protect the most poor and vulnerable, meeting the needs of consumers and the environment Last year 15.6 million people worldwide benefited from oxfam, of which 47% are women and girls. Of these, 7.8 people were rescued with clean water, sanitation, food and shelter. With over 80 years of experience behind it, oxfam – concludes the document – is a world leader in providing water and sanitation services in emergencies, guaranteeing effective solutions in the most difficult conditions”.

Thanks. The thanks of Oxfam Italy to the testimonials of the campaign: Ilaria D’Amico, Amaurys Pérez, Camila Raznovich, Pino Strabioli, Caterina Balivo, Filippo Magnini, Andrea Ranocchia, Fabio Quagliarella, Barbara Bonansea. Thanks for the dissemination of the Campaign to Rai For Sustainability – ESG, La7, Mediafriends, Sky, TV2000, Warner Bros Discovery.