Humanitarian - Water & energy

Israel announced in 2024 that water supply to the West Bank will be reduced by 50%, further increasing water scarcity. Palestinian communities are excluded from Israel’s integrated supply system and receive water according to allocations which don't reflect population.

A lack of water is one of the major problems Christians in the Holy Land contends with every day. A lack of freshwater significantly affects the daily lives and health of hundreds of thousands of people.

In many parts of the West Bank it is common for mains water to be available only a few days each month. Most are forced to store water in tanks on the rooftops of houses to compensate for this.

Water consumption is significantly below the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum.

The shortage of water affects every aspect of daily life including cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene. Furthermore, the poor conditions of the water supply system, together with the endemic scarcity of water, represent a great threat to the health of those people living in area.

A lack of fresh readily available water can have a dismal impact on childhood development.

The water situation also has economic consequences – in that some families are having to spend up to 20% of their income just to purchase water.

Friends of the Holy Land is working with vulnerable Christian communities to provide access to water, through 2 types of water projects:

1. Digging shallow wells which do not require permission from the government. Each well will provide water for around 500 people.

2. Replacing old water tanks which are no longer effective or hygienic. If necessary, old solar panels will also be replaced at the same time if they have reached the end of their life.

Most of the Christian community in the Holy Land live in old houses. Over the last 3 years we have been working in partnership with the Pro Terra Sancta charity to replace water tanks for the neediest families, and install new solar panels, allowing people to heat their water for no cost. It costs around £1000 per family to remove their old tanks and fit 2 new tanks. Adding solar panels takes the cost to around £1600 per installation.

There are many more families in the West Bank who would benefit from a similar initiative.

In 2024 we partnered with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to provide water resources to the Christian community in Zababdeh, a village in the North of the West Bank, which suffers from severe water scarcity.

The project involved digging 6 new shallow wells to provide a sustainable source of water for the community, along with installing 166 high quality water tanks to 155 different families, providing life changing access to clean water and improved health outcomes for around 600 individuals.

Carlos

"FHL helped us install 2 large water tanks. Sometimes we go 20-25 days without water, then it comes back for a short time before being cut off again. I can now store water until the supply returns and this makes me feel more at peace in my home, knowing that we have enough water. We are truly grateful."

FHL will invest £50,000 in providing water and energy to Christian homes in the Holy Land. More if we receive additional funding.

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