In the mountains of Tajikistan, newly installed pipes funnel water from high-altitude glaciers to remote villages. The Tajikistan Red Crescent joined local volunteers to lay the pipes across kilometers of rugged, steep terrain, bringing clean, safe and free water to hundreds of households.

A half a world away, on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, a rural village hit hard by the December 2024 earthquake has clean water again after the Vanuatu Red Cross installed new water tanks. Instead of walking hours to fetch water or bathe, people can focus on rebuilding homes and livelihoods. 

This World Water Day 2025, we focus on all the ways water brings life. But water is also the first essential ingredient that enables all that life should be about: safety, adequate nutrition, education, and healthy, thriving communities.

Consider the story of first-grade student Alif, who lives in the Yemeni city of Dhamar. She had stopped going to school because water and sanitation services were no longer working. Now she is back at school thanks to new water services provided by the Yemen Red Crescent.  “I found out they installed clean water taps and fixed the restrooms,” she said. “So I told my mom I wanted to go back.”