Water is Essential To Life

ONE IN SIX PEOPLE ON THE PLANET DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN, SAFE DRINKING WATER.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick.

Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school. Additionally, collecting water puts them at greater risk of sexual harassment and assault. Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water.  Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

Our planet is 70% water.97.5% of that is saltwater. This means only 2.5% is available for the 6 billion people on the planet today.

We get our water from the 30% of freshwater that exists in underground lakes and aquifers – mainly by digging wells.  Many communities in developing nations often have a plentiful supply of clean water just below the ground, but no way to get to it. Here’s where we, and our partner organizations come in.

HOW WE WORK

Drilling a well can cost from $4,000 – $ 12,000 and many living on less than $1 a day can not afford one in their community, even if the money is combined.  With the help of exemplary organizations on the ground, we can drill wells and provide people with this basic, essential need. charity: water partners with local organizations in each country where we work, choosing the partners based on expertise and the ability to impact real, sustainable change in the communities they benefit. For more information on how we select our partners, and who we work with, click here.

BUILDING WELLS

The local community is engaged in the well building process, carrying out small tasks for free to reduce labor costs. This also encourages community participation and ensures community ownership after the project is complete. When the well is built, a water committee is formed. It generally consists of 6-8 people, half of them female. In the case of hospitals, the committee will generally consist of nurses and hospital staff. In schools, the committee would likely be comprised of teachers. Since charity: was founded and began activity in August 2006, we have funded the construction of more than 1,247 wells that, when completed, will provide clean drinking water to 650,000 people. We’re just getting started.

YOU CAN HELP

$2o can give a person in Africa clean, safe drinking water for 20 years.
100% goes to direct project costs. Click here to donate

And register for our charity: water Tribe Updates on the main page of the blog here