By Lindsey Quinn
The world is thirsty.
Nearly three-fourths of our planet is covered with water, yet billions of people struggle for safe, clean water and adequate access to sanitation. Even when clean water is available, lack of resources and poor education can lead to contamination – causing illness…and even death.
Children International works with sponsored children and their communities to develop effective water programs. Our approach includes:
Watch the slideshow below to learn more about the risks children and families face and find out what Children International is doing to address those problems.
Quick Facts: The global need for water access is staggering: over 780 million people lack access to improved water sources.1
The United Nations has declared access to safe drinking water a basic human right, and Children International is proud to have brought safe, clean water to children on four continents. Our efforts range from constructing wells to working with utilities to ensure poor families have adequate access to potable water.
Quick Facts: Toilets aren't the most exciting of topics, but they are one of the most important, especially for girls: in many developing countries, girls may not be permitted to attend schools that lack latrines or toilets out of privacy and modesty concerns.2 Outside of educational concerns, poor sanitation contributes to the transmission of diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and parasitic infections.3
According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization, an estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation facilities.4 Put into the most basic terms, over a third of our planet needs clean, safe toilets and latrines.
Children International supports and finances youth-led initiatives that bring improved sanitation to schools, hospitals and other community institutions.
Quick Facts: Research has consistently shown that water which is clean at its source can become contaminated in the home without proper storage. Birds and other animals have been known to infect water sources.6 And, where basic sanitation is lacking, bacteria from feces is frequently found in stored drinking water.7
Poorly stored water means increased disease and illness; unfortunately, poor families often cannot afford appropriate covered storage equipment. In the last three years, Children International has provided safe water storage to over 100,000 sponsored children and their families.
Quick Facts: Diarrhea is the second leading cause of mortality in children under 5, causing nearly one in five deaths.8 Yet, diarrheal deaths can be easily prevented with proper treatment and sanitary measures. Research shows that just washing hands with soap can reduce incidences of diarrheal disease by 40 percent.9
Children International focuses on simple, but effective solutions. Our parasite prevention program provides hygiene education to sponsored children and their families; benefits like towels, soaps and other supplies allow families to implement what they've learned.
Our Youth Health Corps – a youth-led health initiative operating in 10 countries – organizes sponsored youth to educate their communities. This initiative is a key driver of our success. Researchers have commented on the importance of children as change agents in improving communities' sanitary and hygiene habits.10
1UNICEF and World Health Organization. (2012). "Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2012 Update."
2Interagency Task Force on Gender and Water. (2004). "Background Paper No. 2: A Gender Perspective on Water Resources and Sanitation."
3Interagency Task Force on Gender and Water. (2004). "Background Paper No. 2: A Gender Perspective on Water Resources and Sanitation."
4UNICEF and World Health Organization. (2012). "Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2012 Update."
5Levy, K. et al. (2008). Following the Water: A Controlled Study of Drinking Water Storage in Northern Coastal Ecuador. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2008 November, 116 (11), 1533-1540. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2592274/ 28 December, 2012.
6Robertson, W. et al. (2003). "Monitoring the Quality of Drinking Water During Storage and Distribution." In Microbial safety of drinking water: Improving approaches and methods (Chapter 6). http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/9241546301/en/
7Wright, J. et al. (2004). Household drinking water in developing countries: a systemic review of microbiological contamination between source and point-of-use. Tropical Medicine and
International Health: 9: 1. January 2004, 106-117.
8UNICEF and World Health Organization. (2009). "Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done."
9Ibid.
10Ibid.
