Give The Gift Of Water This Muharram

Written By Annabel Lewington

Despite Yemen’s reputation as ‘Arabia Felix’, Yemen has faced significant water scarcity for decades due to its dry and semi-arid climate; there are no rivers, little of the rain that falls on the land is captured in groundwater, and the hot, dry climate evaporates any rainfall in the mountains. Yemen’s water shortage has escalated further in recent years due to high population growth, mismanagement of water supplies, climate change and conflict.

Yemen currently faces the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and this has been exacerbated by the ongoing conflict. Unsurprisingly, tensions arising from water scarcity have contributed to Yemen’s instability and conflict.
The children of Yemen are threatened by water insecurity. 70.3% of Yemen’s
population do not have access to safe and undisrupted drinking water, and the children of Yemen are most affected by this issue. A lack of sanitation has disrupted children’s education as children often collect water from long
distances and has left children vulnerable to disease; cholera is prevalent in
96% of Yemen’s governorates, with 2.5 million cases since April 2017 and 3852 deaths.

Having access to safe drinking water is a basic human right that unfortunately many do not have, especially the orphans and destitute in Yemen. Access to safe water is essential for the development of every child; Children with access to safe drinking water are more likely to attend school and to practice good hygiene, preventing disease.

Do not miss the opportunity to give the gift of water this Muharram!

Muharram represents an opportunity to make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate than us. Giving the charity of water is highly recommended in Islam and will be significantly rewarded during this month.

Inspired by Imam Hussain (as), Noor Orphans Fund is raising funds this Muharram to provide clean water for the orphans and the destitute in Yemen; we at Noor Orphans Fund aim to buy large quantities of clean water from a pure water plant to quench the thirst of as many orphans and the poor as possible. Your generous donations will provide clean water to orphanages and villages in Yemen.

www.noororphansfund.org/water-appeal

References:

‘Cholera situation in Yemen, December 2020’. World Health Organization. ReliefWeb. 2020. Accessed: 2/8/21. Available: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cholera-situation yemendecember-2020

Glass, Nicole. ‘The Water Crisis in Yemen: Causes, Consequences and Solutions’. 2010. Accessed: 2/8/21. Available:
https://www.american.edu/cas/economics/ejournal/upload/glass_acc
essible.pdf

Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2021) – “Clean Water and Sanitation”. 2021 Accessed: 26/7/21. Available at:
‘https://ourworldindata.org/clean-water-sanitation’

‘The World Bank in Yemen’. World Bank. 2021. Accessed: 2/8/21.
Available: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/overview

Ward, Christopher. ‘The Water Crisis in Yemen. Managing extreme water scarcity in the Middle East’. 2015. I. B. Tauris Ɇ Co. Ltd 2015.
Accessed: 2/8/21. Available:
https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/the-water-crisis-inyemen-managing-extreme-water-scarcity-in-the-middleeast/introduction