Project Overview
In April 2006 Islamic Relief launched a Water and Health Programme in Al-Selo, a province of Taiz governorate in southern Yemen. The project is operating in three districts of Al-Selo – Al Duba, Al Khabela and Al Okashia.

The water component of the project will help around 600 families in Al Duba. Two hundred of these families have never had access to safe drinking water. The health component of the project will involve health and hygiene training for community members, specialised training for health centre staff, and the construction and rehabilitation of three primary health centres. These health centres will serve the population of three target districts of Al-Selo.

Project Background
Most of the population of Al-Duba, Al-Khabela and Al-Okashia are migrants from the Horn of Africa. They are amongst the most disadvantaged members of society, and often miss out on social welfare initiatives. Gaining access to water and adequate health facilities is very difficult for these people, especially because Al-Selo is a mountainous province.

Less than 32% of Yemen’s rural population have access to safe drinking water and the majority of people use polluted wells or springs. One area that suffers particularly poor access to water is Al-Akhdam in Al-Duba district. People living in Al-Akhdam do not have water pipes in their houses and the village is not close to water tanks either.

Throughout Al-Selo many villagers are unaware of the measures they can take to prevent water contamination, which means that disease spreads fast. The standard of public health facilities in Al-Selo is very low and resources are overstretched. One health centre is currently serving the 17,883 people that live in Al-Okashia, Al-Duba and Al-Khabela. The centre is poorly equipped and staff are not adequately trained in specialised medical practices, such as lab testing. Some people travel away from their district to seek medical attention, this can complicate their health problems and is often very expensive.

Project Objectives
To provide the marginalised community of Al-Akhtam with access to safe drinking water and to improve the standard of public health facilities in three districts of Al-Selo.

Project Activities

• Constructing a network of pipes to pump clean water from a reservoir up the mountain to Al-Akhdam.
• Constructing one new health centre and rehabilitating two others.
• Providing basic equipment and medical supplies at all three centres.
• Training six women as midwives, lab technicians and health educators.
• Training health educators, teachers, students and community leaders on health education and hygiene practices.

Beneficiaries
25,000 people will benefit from the Al-Selo Water and Health Project.