Why Water?

A Devastating World Health Crisis

Lack of clean water, lack of sanitation, and unfamiliarity with good hygiene practices kill more people every year than all acts of war and violence, auto accidents, and HIV/AIDS combined.

people have only dirty water to drink

2 billion people

lack reliable access to safely-managed water

Water is essential for life.
Safe water is the basis for human health and wellbeing and the foundation to healthy economies and communities.

Unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices…

Result in a Staggering Number of Illnesses and Deaths

  • Each year, almost one million deaths are attributed to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene practices. (Source)
  • > 800 children, under the age of 5, die every day from diarrhea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation. These illnesses are preventable and treatable(Source)
  • >800 million, of 2.2 billion people without reliable access to safely-managed water at home, do not have a basic drinking water service. (Source)
  • 3.6 billion people have no access to safely managed sanitation; 494 million still practice open defecation (Source)
  • At least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces. (Source)
  • Women and girls are responsible for water collection in eight out of ten households with water off-premises. (Source)
  • About 122 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams. (Source)
  • 3 billion people still lack basic hand-washing facilities at home. (Source)
  • 29% of schools lack basic drinking water services, impacting 546 million schoolchildren; 28% lack basic sanitation services, impacting 539 million schoolchildren; and 42% o not have basic hygiene services, 802 million schoolchildren (Source)
  • Globally, 80% of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas. (Source)

… And Directly Contribute To Perpetual Economic Hardship

  • When a parent is sick, productive work and income is lost.
  • When a child is sick, school is missed. Persistent illnesses impact physical and mental development and result in significant and long-term consequences to the child’s future.
  • 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related diseases. (Source)
  • Patients suffering from waterborne diseases occupy 50% of all hospital beds in the developing world. (Source)
  • Repeated diarrheal diseases take a lifelong toll on health, productivity, and longevity, and perpetuate a cycle of endless poverty.

    Boy Collecting Dirty Water

Safe water is medicine.
It saves lives. It brings new hope and establishes the foundation for real change.

Sustainable, cost-effective solutions exist to provide safe water to everyone.

Learn more about our safe water solutions and education programs that are creating lasting change.

 

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