Ayesha* (45), widow, living with her three children in northern Afghanistan. After losing her husband, Ayesha* started sewing carpets and working to feed her three children. Ayesha* and her children drank contaminated water for several years, leading to frequent illnesses, particularly diarrhea. She cannot fulfill all the basic needs of her children, especially materials related to hygiene.

Save the Children’s WASH intervention, funded by Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) provided Aqua tabs, Hygiene kit (nail cutter, shampoo, soap, hand hygiene promotion materials, and other hygiene Items), and dignity kit (scarf, underwear, laundry soap, Soap Bath toothbrush, and other items) to Ayesha*, also chlorinated the contaminated water in her village. They have also attended the hygiene promotion sessions that helped them learn about cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation. This intervention played a crucial role in improving the living conditions of Ayesha's* family.

“We did not have clean water in our village; our water was infected with bacteria. My children and I were frequently falling ill with diarrhea. There were no clinic facilities available in our village, so sometimes we had to travel an hour to see the doctor in the center of the district. It was not always easy for me to take my children to the doctor due to the expenses involved, including doctor's fees and medicine costs. However, when Save the Children came to our village, they cleaned our water by adding chlorine to our well. Since then, my children and I haven't fallen ill again. They also provided us with Chlorin tablets that we continue to use. Our water is now clean, and no more bacteria are present.” Says Ayesha* 

She added, “Save the Children provides training and counseling in our village, and we are very happy about it. Last time, we had handwashing training. We understood the importance of it, and now everyone in my family practices handwashing. We want Save the Children to hold more training so that we can learn more important things.”  

“We received chlorine tablets, and we were using them. We were taught to chlorinate the water, but we are running out of the chlorine tablet, and we don’t know how to deal with this.”