Clean water is the most basic necessity for sustaining life. Water is used not only for drinking but for sanitation and hygiene (bathing, hand washing), cooking, irrigation for agriculture, washing clothes, etc. A lack of clean water affects every aspect of life in a community and providing clean water is an essential step towards building hope for a better future.
What the cause is about:
EducationMillions of children in developing countries spend their days carrying heavy water containers in the hot sun instead of going to school. Without education and literacy they are bound to a life of poverty. This contributes to a lack of knowledge and training in basic hygiene and sanitation which, when combined with drinking dirty water, causes widespread disease and death. Without education, opportunity is limited and hope for the future is dim. |
DiseaseThese children walk miles each day carrying heavy loads over rough terrain in scorching temperatures only to bring home water that is dirty and teaming with disease and parasites. Often water is drawn from sources used by cattle and other animals so it is mixed with feces and mud. Also water is taken from warm stagnant ponds that are filled with bacteria. This means that sickness and death are a constant threat in communities that don’t have clean water. |
Medical CareBecause of the poverty of communities that lack clean water, when they do get sick they either can’t afford or don’t have access to adequate medical care. Every day nearly 5,000 children die from water related illnesses – that means one child dies approximately every 20 seconds making a lack of clean water one of the most lethal forces in the world today. |
Gender EqualityIt is mostly young girls who are responsible for getting water and they are the ones who are not going to school. Empowering women is the key to building the future of a community and clean water is a huge step in making that happen. |
AgricultureWithout access to water nothing can grow and because water is such a scarce and valuable resource, growing crops is not an option for many. There is also very little time for agriculture when so many hours are spent fetching water. This often means that food is hard to come by which leads to hunger and malnutrition, which leads to lowered immunity, which leads to more disease and death. |
When you bring clean water to a community you bring:
TeamworkImmediately there is hope as the community rallies together and gets involved in the water project providing labor and assisting the hydrologists and professionals. |
EmpowermentOnce the water project is completed they will have a strong sense of empowerment having done the work themselves and having been trained on how to care for and maintain their water source. |
FutureFor the first time they have a sense that there might be hope in the future. |
FreedomWith access to clean water in their community, children now have time to go to school, young girls are empowered, adults have water and time to grow crops to feed their families. |
LifeDisease is drastically reduced, and the death rate steadily declines. |
+ Youth report on clean water
+ Quick Facts sheet from ZealousLove.org
+ World Water Map from BBC News