Water Poverty

There is increasing evidence that climate change can exacerbate water poverty to the extent that many communities around the world do not have easy access to clean water for consumption and sanitation purposes.

771 Million People Live Without Clean Water

Approximately 9.6% of the world's population live without access to clean water. Many live in rural areas and have to walk long distances to collect water for their families. Often, the water source is dirty and prone to causing sickness and disease. Every year 3.75 million people, including 2.2 million children, die from dirty water and related diseases.

Clean Water Changes Lives

Source: https://www.charitywater.org/global-water-crisis

Health

Dirty water and related diseases kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including conflict and terrorism. 43% of those deaths are children under five years old. Access to clean water can save around 16,000 lives every week.

Time

Women in Sub-Saharan Africa spend around 16 million hours collecting water every day. Access to clean water gives communities more time to grow food, earn an income, and go to school, all of which fight poverty.

Education

Clean water allows children to spend more time in school because they spend less time collecting water. 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.

Clean Water Powers Economic Growth

Access to clean water is arguably the most powerful tool for powering economic growth that humanity has ever known. According to the World Health Organization, every $1 invested in joint water supply and sanitation returns $4.30 in economic growth. Humanitarian organizations have requested urgent action to help over 220 million people impacted by water vulnerability in Africa.

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