The lack of access to water and sanitation undermines progress on many global issues—from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, and education to industry. World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day that highlights the importance of freshwater for families around the world. Learn about the water crisis and how the Advancing Life Foundation is helping aid those in need.
Bringing vital attention to the water crisis
Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centers, factories, and farms are held back because their human rights to water access and proper sanitation are never fulfilled. According to the latest estimates, 1.4 million people die annually, and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene. In fact, one in four people worldwide, around 2 billion people, do not have access to safe drinking water. Microbial fecal contamination of drinking water as a result of improper sanitation poses the greatest risk to their health. Almost half of the global population lacks safe restroom facilities. 44% of all household wastewater is not safely treated and flows back into nature without harmful content being removed.
When thinking about the global water crisis, it can be difficult to visualize the severity of the situation. Imagine that the water and sanitation crisis was a burden for a community of 100 people:
- 25 of them would collect unsafe water from a stream or pond, walk for hours to obtain it and pay a high price to a vendor.
- 22 of those people would either have no choice but to go to the toilet in the street, bushes, fields, or to use unhygienic and dysfunctional latrines.
- Around 22 people would work in or receive care at a healthcare facility that has no basic water service, placing them at a heightened risk for infection.
- 44 people would live in areas vulnerable to disease because their wastewater and feces flowed back into nature without being treated.
- The other 56 people, having safe toilets connected to systems that safely treat waste, would remain largely unaware of how important their sanitation services are to protecting their health and well-being.
How we are getting involved
Advancing Life Foundation is dedicated to helping build freshwater wells in struggling communities across the world. That’s why we’ve helped build 262 freshwater wells in places like Cambodia, Kenya, Ghana North, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. In Mexico, we’ve helped install water cisterns and rain harvesting systems. And we’ve helped provide 10 Mexico villages with access to potable water, including 50 hand-washing stations installed in rural areas.
Thanks to the funds donated and volunteer service of so many donors, the Advancing Life Foundation has provided clean water to over 76,300 people to date. Donate today to help someone in need gain access to clean drinking water.