Clean water. In the developed world, we take it so for granted and waste it so freely. At the same time, nearly one billion people, especially in Africa, have very limited access to this life giving resource. Without such access, one child dies every 15 seconds. 1 in 5 children who die before age 5 worldwide, dies of a water related illness. These illnesses kill more people each year than wars and other conflicts combined. This is suffering on a massive scale.
Young Boy Collects Water in Central Kenya
Children, especially girls, and women, must walk miles every day to find even the small amounts of filthy, disease ridden water they are able to use. For those who live through all of this, they can expect:
- Illnesses that incapacitate, not allowing adults to work or children to attend school
- Unwatered fields, ever dwindling food supplies, deep hunger, and starvation
- Continuing poverty and inequality
Clean water!! For these people, the shift away from needless death and out of poverty, illness, inequality and hunger begins with it. If there is one crucial element in lifting 1/6 of the world’s population out of this mire, it’s drinkable, accessible water.
