We are all take clean, safe running water and hygienic toilets for granted. Gone are the days when we had to walk to the nearest river with a large container to collect drinking water or use a long drop. If this happened here today there would be public outcry, but in some parts of the world this is still the norm.
Some shocking statistics taken from www.wateraid.org:
o 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population. (WHO/UNICEF)
o 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population. (WHO/UNICEF)
o 1.4 million children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unclean water and poor sanitation - 4,000 child deaths a day or one child every 20 seconds. This equates to 160 infant school classrooms lost every single day to an entirely preventable public health crisis. (WHO/WaterAid)
WaterAid aims to transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities.
o Since 1981, the charity has reached 15.89 million people with safe water
o Since 2004, WaterAid has reached 11.02 million people with sanitation
o In 2010/11 1.45 million people were given access to safe water and 1.62 million people with sanitation through WaterAid
o Just £15 can enable one person to access a lasting supply of safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation. (WaterAid)
But more needs to be done. I hope that through my trip to Zambia in February I will be able to raise awareness of this charity and the plight of many throughout the world.
I will witness first hand those who are yet to receive help and the conditions they are living in, WaterAid’ss work in progress and how lives have been transformed as a result of the charity.
For more information on WaterAid visit: www.wateraid.org
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