771 million people in the world live without clean water.
That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide. Or, twice the population of the United States. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep children out of school or take up time that parents could be using to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that can make everyone sick.
But access to clean water means education, income and health – especially for women and kids.
Clean water changes everything.
HEALTH
Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
43% of those deaths are children under five years old. Access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week.
TIME
Each day, women in Sub-Saharan Africa spend a total of 16 million hours collecting water.
Access to clean water gives communities more time to grow food, earn an income, and go to school -- all of which fight poverty.
EDUCATION
DClean water helps keep kids in school, especially girls.
Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Women are responsible for 72% of the water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa.
When a community gets water, women and girls get their lives back. They start businesses, improve their homes, and take charge of their own futures.
How do we tackle the water crisis?
We work with local experts and community members to find the best sustainable solution in each place where we work, whether it’s a well, a piped system, a BioSand Filter, or a system for harvesting rainwater. And with every water point we fund, our partners coordinate sanitation and hygiene training, and establish a local Water Committee to help keep water flowing for years to come.