Climate Resilient Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Disaster Management services for vulnerable children in the Central African Republic (CRDM-CAR)

The Central African Republic faces climate vulnerability from rising temperatures, heavy rainfall, flooding, and episodic droughts. Access to basic water and sanitation services is critically low, with only 14 per cent of the population having access to sanitation, and six per cent having access to safely managed drinking water.

The CRDM-CAR project will strengthen the climate resilience of vulnerable communities —in the most climate-exposed areas of the Central African Republic. The project will reduce flood- and drought-related disruptions to water, sanitation, and hygiene services and improve disaster risk management. This will be achieved through laying the groundwork for transformative systems change (e.g., policies, standards, hydromet and groundwater monitoring, early warning systems, strengthening of institutions and data infrastructure); and risk-informed investments in climate-resilient infrastructure such as solar-powered rural water systems, resilient sanitation, urban drainage upgrades, and resilient WASH services in schools and health facilities.

The project is expected to benefit around 504,600 people directly and 2.56 million indirectly, with women and children forming the majority. In effect, the project is anticipated to affect over half the population in the Central African Republic, presenting a large-scale impact potential in one of the most vulnerable contexts globally. Serving as both Accredited and Executing Entity, UNICEF, with the country’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDHR), will transition the water sector from reactive responses toward preventive, risk-informed, and institutionally embedded resilience.

As the first single-country GCF initiative for the Central African Republic, the project reflects GCF's commitment to supporting vulnerable countries while advancing the Fund’s strategic focus on early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, and locally led adaptation.