Qatar Charity implements fresh WASH project for Afghan refugees in Pakistan

Qatar Charity (QC), in partnership with Unicef, has embarked on the implementation of a new water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) project for Afghan refugees and the host community in Pakistan. The project in the six districts of Balochistan, is expected to benefit 75,000 in 38 targeted refugee villages and the host communities by facilitating access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation services, in addition to encouraging safe hygiene practices to keep their environments clean. Health education campaigns focus on teaching refugees and families how to wash hands, spreading the necessary awareness among them, celebrating international days of water and toilets, and training on how to use safe water, in co-operation with local authorities.

“Majority of our children used to walk barefoot and didn’t care of hygiene, but after Qatar Charity’s Hygiene Promotion sessions, children take care of their personal hygiene and wear shoes,” said Abdullah Jan, a beneficiary.

“I used to not wash my hands, but after Qatar Charity’s team visited and informed me about the importance of hand washing, I began to wash my hands with soap regularly,” said Bano Bibi, another beneficiary.

Syed Sajid Hussain, district education officer, Loralai district, said, “Due to Qatar Charity interventions in schools, the students know the importance of using latrines and hand washing with soap. I am especially impressed with the children’s awareness regarding seven steps of hand washing”.

At the beginning of this year, QC, in partnership with Unicef, implemented a WASH project in the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which provided improved sanitation and hygiene services, and contributed to protecting the residents from water-borne diseases.

Nearly 1mn people benefited when QC, in partnership with Unicef, implemented a project in Pakistan under the name ‘improved health, nutrition and well-being of poor and vulnerable people’ in the Jhang district of Punjab, as well as in Quetta and Naseerabad districts of Balochistan.