water and sanitation
Help share the gift of life that everyone deserves.
Access to clean water and proper sanitation are vital for community development to take place.
These are essential for everyone’s survival and well-being but despite this, communities are still struggling to fulfill their basic needs.
We help provide clean water and prevent the spread of diseases so communities are better able to enjoy a better quality of life and greater opportunities in the future.
Understanding The Importance of Water
How water helps breathe a new life in communities.
Every 1 minute a child under the age of 5 dies from illnesses related to poor water and sanitation – amounting to nearly 300,000 child deaths a year.
Water-borne and sanitation-related diseases are amongst the major causes of death among children under 5 years old. Children are one of our greatest hopes, having clean water and sanitary living conditions is important for their futures.
Did You Know?
Water is key to our survival and well-being. It is vital for every system within our bodies and we all need it to function.
Water carries nutrients to all the cells in our body and oxygen to our brains
Water allows our body to absorb the minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and other important substances
Water is what helps us flush out toxins and waste from our bodies
Water helps regulate our body temperature
Water functions as a lubricant for our joints and muscles
Water helps improve our cognitive performance and boosts our brainpower
Ways You Can Make a Difference
Generate awareness & turn them into actions for a better future
By managing water sustainably and effectively, we can help build a strong foundation for achieving development goals and alleviate global poverty.
Build
Help construct water systems and latrines in communities currently without clean water and fight the spread of COVID-19 while promoting good hygiene.
Teach
Help send instructors to communities after they have clean water, or use radio or cell phones, to teach them vital sanitation and hygiene principles.
Equip
Help equip a mother to use clean water in cooking and gardening so she can protect her children from serious waterborne disease and keep them healthy.
Let Community Development Grow
This is how having clean water and proper sanitation can help communities around the world:
1. Sustainable access to clean water and sanitation leads to healthier people
Clean water and proper sanitation are directly related to health, and thus the essence of development.
Clean water contributes to health and helps reduce the transmission of diseases that are rife within vulnerable communities – allowing individuals to have a better chance at a brighter future.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how critical sanitation, hygiene and proper access to clean water are for preventing and containing diseases. Check out our COVID-19 measures here.
2. Healthier people are better equipped to improve their economic growth
Vulnerable families who survive on what they earn on a daily basis, rarely have savings set aside for when illness strikes. The inability to pay for medical costs can often push individuals or families deeper into debt and poverty.
With proper water and sanitation the likelihood of contracting water-borne diseases is less likely. People can then focus on their individual growth and development of their communities instead of survival.
3. This facilitates better environmental management
Communities that have poor environmental management are at serious risk of contracting diseases like malaria, dengue and more.
When we can help facilitate and educate them on better environmental management, we can help prevent the spread of diseases that directly impact their health. From community clean-ups to dealing with waterlogged areas, which would reduce the chance of dengue, all the way to helping farmers do better crop management. Our scope of work is expansive to help deal with the wide array of different issues we encounter.
4. Ultimately, this will lead to a healthier planet
The issue regarding water and sanitation is a global crisis that creates a profoundly negative impact on the environment.
When people don’t have to worry about being able to access clean water, they can have more time to focus on the development of their communities. This includes tackling environmental issues through water management and more.
Opportunities for Women and Children
Water and sanitation drives empowerment.
Women and children are among the most vulnerable when it comes to issues related to water and sanitation.
More women spend each day walking significant distances to collect water for their families and communities – leaving them with little to no time and energy left to pursue an education or other activities.
In communities that are vulnerable, the education of boys is often prioritized over girls due to the harmful gender roles.
Having proper water and sanitation could help transform community development issues and allow women a chance at an education and a brighter future.
Teaching “Water Keepers” to Protect Health
In countries experiencing poverty, access to clean water for sanitation and hygiene is not easy to access. With help through our local partners, we have constructed water systems and educated communities about vital sanitation and hygiene principles.
World Renew partners are also teaching and equipping mothers to use clean water in cooking and gardening so they can protect their children from serious waterborne illnesses and also keep their little ones healthy with home-grown, nutritious food.
Access to safe water is needed now more than ever as it is critical to the health of families in Kenya so they can prepare and protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases. Check out our efforts.
Take Action Today
Availability and access to clean water and proper sanitation services is fundamental in preserving the health and well-being of everyone. Help ensure the availability of clean water to communities around the world and help provide sustainable management of water to improve health and sanitation through donations . Your donation provides families with the knowledge and tools necessary to cultivate change in not only their community, but in neighbouring communities too.