Issues - overview
Dirty water and inadequate sanitation are one of the biggest killers of children aged under five worldwide. Around a third of the world's population – 2.4 billion people – lack adequate sanitation facilities. And globally 663 million people do not have access to clean water.
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'Safe drinking water and adequate sanitation |
Why is this important?
Clean water and good sanitation are essential for health, education and livelihoods. Without safe water and sanitation facilities, people are trapped in a cycle of poverty, disease and poor quality of life.
Consider the following facts:
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We believe in water and sanitation solutions that are community-led, low-cost, practical, sustainable and long-term. Above all, they must be owned, valued, maintained and protected by the community. |
WaterWe all need water to survive but for some people the only choice is to drink from polluted or disease-ridden sources. So serious is the water crisis that it is considered the number one global risk based on impact to society as a measure of devastation.
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SanitationAstonishing as it may sound, more people have a mobile phone than a toilet. One billion people practice open defecation – one of the main causes of diarrhoea (a major killer of children under five). Improving sanitation can reduce diarrhoea cases by around 28%.
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HygieneEach year children lose 272 million school days due to diarrhoea. This has a big impact on their future prospects. Washing hands with soap can found to reduce diarrhoea by 23%. That would cut the number of schooling days lost to illness by 63 million a year.
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Image credits, clockwise from top: Digging for water in Tanzania, by Susie Weldon. Gathering pond water in Bangladesh, by Shawn. Washing hands, by Truong Viet Hung/UNICEF Vietnam. Drainage in Kalibari community, by Ashley Wheaton/SuSanA Secretariat. Collecting water in India, ARC