According to a World Health Organization 2017 Report:

• 2.1 Billion people, or 3 in 10 people worldwide, lack access to safe readily available water at home
• 4.4 Billion people or 6 in 10, lack safely managed sanitation, further intensifying the water issue

For children, assess to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene not only keeps them alive and healthy, it also gives them a chance to go to school and gain an education, it reduces inequalities, and creates a brighter future.

Health

• Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year that all forms of violence, including war
• 43% of those deaths are children under 5 years old.  Young children are the first to get sick and die from waterborne and sanitation related illnesses – including diarrheal diseases and malaria
• 85% of all diseases in African children under 5 are caused by waterborne illness
• Access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week.

Poverty

• In Africa poverty is often caused by lack of access to clean and safe water
• Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest drinking water coverage of any region
• Collecting dirty water takes time – you can’t make money walking to the nearest water source – many times – it is miles away from home

Women Empowerment

• Women bear the main responsibility for collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa.  They are responsible for over 72% of the water collected in the region
• In Africa alone, women spend over 40 Billion hours a year walking for water
• When a community gets clean water, women and girls get their lives back.  They start businesses, improve their homes, and take charge of their own futures
• Clean water helps keep kids in school, especially girls.  Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month