The global water crisis

One out of every five people on earth do not have clean water–the most basic ingredient needed to sustain life. Two out of every five people do not have access to basic sanitation. The resulting illnesses caused by lack of these basic necessities causes the deaths of over 5 million people each year. The most outrageous consequence is that the majority of deaths are of children under five.

Even when children do survive, they too often do not thrive. Without safe water sources nearby, children pay the price–they are sick, malnourished and make daily treks to collect water at the expense of going to school or studying. Young children are often left alone or under the care of another young child by mothers who must leave their homes to walk long distances to collect water, or by mothers who are ill themselves.

Lack of access to clean water has a devastating effect on women and girls who are traditionally responsible for water collection. Women and girls spend hours in search of water, walking long, steep and rugged trails. They carry home water in heavy pots on their heads or strapped to their backs. This saps their energy, diminishes their health status, and prevents them from participating in economic and social activities that are vital to the development of communities.

Helping communities in developing countries gain access to safe, sustainable water sources and adequate sanitary facilities is a challenging problem to address. Nevertheless, this challenge must be taken up if we want to end poverty in our world.