Why is Clean Water Important?
Equitable access to clean water is a key component of sustainable development.
One of the UN sustainable development goals states that everyone should have affordable access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2030. However, 844 million people around the world lack access to basic drinking water services. 700 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without basic sanitation facilities. The consequences of such are devastating. Unsafe water and poor sanitation kill an estimated 1.7 million people per year. 80% of all illnesses in the developing world are a result of poor water or sanitation quality.
In Kenya, individuals must walk for hours each day to collect water from a source often filled with cholera, typhoid, among other life-threatening bacteria. By providing villages with sustainable sources of clean water, health and quality of life both improve greatly.
There are additional benefits to providing villages in developing communities with a sustainable source of clean water. Currently, women and girls across Sub-Saharan Africa spend a combined 16 million hours collecting water each day. This comes at the direct cost of girls' education and women earning sustainable incomes. By providing more accessible sources of clean water, girls would be able to attend school to recieve an education, and women would be able to spend more time working.
One of the UN sustainable development goals states that everyone should have affordable access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2030. However, 844 million people around the world lack access to basic drinking water services. 700 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without basic sanitation facilities. The consequences of such are devastating. Unsafe water and poor sanitation kill an estimated 1.7 million people per year. 80% of all illnesses in the developing world are a result of poor water or sanitation quality.
In Kenya, individuals must walk for hours each day to collect water from a source often filled with cholera, typhoid, among other life-threatening bacteria. By providing villages with sustainable sources of clean water, health and quality of life both improve greatly.
There are additional benefits to providing villages in developing communities with a sustainable source of clean water. Currently, women and girls across Sub-Saharan Africa spend a combined 16 million hours collecting water each day. This comes at the direct cost of girls' education and women earning sustainable incomes. By providing more accessible sources of clean water, girls would be able to attend school to recieve an education, and women would be able to spend more time working.
What is Water For Water Doing to Help?
An overwhelming percentage of bottled water purchases across North America are diverted to landfills, causing harm to our natural environment. We strive to form strategic partnerships with bottled water distributors across North America who practice sustainable and ethical methods of production. In doing so, we aim to further incentivise the purchasing of sustainable bottles of clean water, as well as provide clean water to those in developing countries.
When you buy a bottle with the Water For Water logo on it, a portion of your purchase will be donated to clean water projects in Africa.
Water For Water is extremely proud to support the WE Villages Development Model. The model states (and has been proven successfully) that sustainable development is reliant on five pillars: Food, Water, Education, Healthcare, and Empowerment. WE has concluded that the most effective way to provide sustainable sources of clean water to developing communities is through accessing the water table through the drilling of a borehole. Since the water table is 200m below the surface in many regions of Kenya, this is no easy (or affordable) task. Water For Water is committed to raising the funds to help implement this solution on a large scale through launching a unique fundraising campaign.
How Does the Water Component of the WE Villages Development Model Work?
WE Charity helps provide communities with clean water to drink and use for cooking; healthy sanitation facilities for washing and going to the bathroom; and infrastructure like irrigation or catchment systems to facilitate food production. We also work to educate communities about healthy hygiene practices and how to prevent waterborne disease. (Source: WE Charity)
The implementation of clean water projects in the WE Villages development model is broken down into various stages.
First, the community must collectively decide that they are ready for the installation, as it will result in drastic changes in lifestyle. This is a crucial step, required to form constructive and cooperative relationships with community members. Ultimately, the community must take responsibility for the water system including repairing it and buying worn parts.
Second, a committee is appointed to manage the water system, which reinforces the principle of long-term communal ownership of the system.
Next, the WE team in Kenya works to educate community members on proper sanitation practices, improving overall health and quality of life within the community.
Then the drilling begins after research is conducted about the best location to access the water. In the Mara, a bore hole must often be drilled [distance] to hit clean water. Once the water is hit, a solar-powered pump is installed within the village to pump to water to elevated water storage tanks.
Next, a water distribution system must be built taking the water from the tanks to a number of "water-kiosks" spread across the community. Residents then pay a small fee to retrieve clean water. The purpose of the fee is to ensure that the system continues to work over long periods of time (ex. if repairs are needed).
One of the "water-kiosks" is to be placed directly beside the school, allowing young girls to receive an education and bring home clean water to support their families, instead of being forced to choose one.
First, the community must collectively decide that they are ready for the installation, as it will result in drastic changes in lifestyle. This is a crucial step, required to form constructive and cooperative relationships with community members. Ultimately, the community must take responsibility for the water system including repairing it and buying worn parts.
Second, a committee is appointed to manage the water system, which reinforces the principle of long-term communal ownership of the system.
Next, the WE team in Kenya works to educate community members on proper sanitation practices, improving overall health and quality of life within the community.
Then the drilling begins after research is conducted about the best location to access the water. In the Mara, a bore hole must often be drilled [distance] to hit clean water. Once the water is hit, a solar-powered pump is installed within the village to pump to water to elevated water storage tanks.
Next, a water distribution system must be built taking the water from the tanks to a number of "water-kiosks" spread across the community. Residents then pay a small fee to retrieve clean water. The purpose of the fee is to ensure that the system continues to work over long periods of time (ex. if repairs are needed).
One of the "water-kiosks" is to be placed directly beside the school, allowing young girls to receive an education and bring home clean water to support their families, instead of being forced to choose one.
How Can You Get Involved?
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Water For Water makes it super easy for you to support clean water projects around the world! From each purchase of a Water for Water-branded water bottle, a portion of the proceeds will be donated towards clean water projects in developing communities!
Ice River bottles branded with the Water For Water logo are available across Ontario now! Find our where you can purchase a case HERE |
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