Water is life. Clean drinking water improves and protects people’s health, gives children the possibility of attending school permanently, empowers women, strengthens the local economy and allows for a better future. However, many people worldwide do not have assured access to this precious commodity.
Water
771 million people worldwide do not have assured access to clean drinking water. About 489 million of them lack access to any drinking water infrastructure.1
Sanitation
3,6 billion people worldwide do not have assured access to sanitation. Around 1,7 billion people don’t even have access to basic sanitary provision.2
Hygiene
2,3 billion people worldwide do not have assured access to hygiene facilities.3
The impact of clean drinking water:
#1
Health
Diseases caused by contaminated water are responsible for more deaths than all forms of violence, including wars.
Access to water must thus be assured, the water must be and remain clean. This is made possible through holistic projects that include measures for sanitary provision and hygiene in particular.
#2
Time
On a global scale, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water
If houses are not equipped with a water supply system, fetching water is very time-consuming. Especially women gain time if there’s a well nearby and can use this time for tasks that they have freely chosen.
#3
Education
Access to clean drinking water helps children attend school longer, especially girls.
Lacking access to water is one reason to stay away from school. Girls in particular benefit from holistic projects which consider not only water, but also sanitation and hygiene aspects (WASH). Otherwise, the first period is a common reason not to attend school.
#4
Female Empowerment
Access to clean drinking water allows women and girls greater freedom. The time gained can be used in a targeted way: They can go to school, start their own business and have more influence on their own future.
Viva con Agua promotes WASH projects (water, sanitation, hygiene) based on a holistic approach to enable long-term access to clean drinking water for people.
