Understand the water crisis. Value your impact.
WATER IS CRUCIAL FOR LIFE, HEALTH, AND DIGNITY
The term “water and sanitation crisis” lacks a single, clear-cut definition. However, it broadly describes scenarios where individuals don’t have adequate access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities. This inadequacy hinders their health, welfare, and growth. The United Nations recognizes water and sanitation as fundamental human rights crucial for enjoying life and other entitlements.
According to the WHO some 2,2 billion people did not have safe drinking water in 2019, 4,2 billion lack proper sanitation, with Sub-Saharan Africa having the world’s lowest coverage for both services. Water-linked diseases result in millions of avoidable deaths yearly, predominantly in children under. The global water and sanitation crisis is a complex and multifaceted issue and results from diverse factors like:
- unequal distribution of water on earth, which results in some regions having more water than others.
- increasing demand for water due to population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation and agriculture.
- pollution and overuse of water sources, which affect the quality and quantity of available water.
- political and economic instability where conflicts and lack of investment can prevent the construction and maintenance of water infrastructure.
- effects of climate change, leading to more frequent and intense droughts, floods, storms and melting snow, which alter and threaten water resources.
These lead to insufficient or unsafe water supplies for people, agriculture, industry, and ecosystems.
The construction and rehabilitation of groundwater wells are efficient key strategies that can make a significant contribution to addressing the water problem. However, it is crucial to recognise that while these strategies are important, they are only part of the comprehensive solution required – just like our role in this endeavour.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest coverage of both water and sanitation services in the world
HOW CRITICAL IS AFRICA’S DIRTY WATER PROBLEM?
In sub-Saharan Africa only 24% of its population had access to safe drinking water according to a 2019 UN report.
Both urban and rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa face water challenges, but their nature differs. Urban regions grapple with issues like poor infrastructure and high population density. Still, 40% of people lack safely managed drinking water and 66.67% lack proper sanitation, compared to rural areas where the figures are higher at 80% and 75%, respectively.
Rural regions deal with limited groundwater resources, high well-drilling costs, lack of facility maintenance, and insufficient hygiene awareness. Consequently, they experience more water-related diseases. The lack of drinking water and sanitation also has a domino effect on the health of people, especially children, in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are essential for preventing and controlling diseases, reducing health care-associated infections, improving quality of care, and achieving universal health coverage.
Many resort to contaminated sources, leading to diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid. Diarrheal diseases, primarily from contaminated water, kill some 360,000 children under five annually in this region. Children who suffer from diarrhoea are also more likely to be malnourished, stunted, and vulnerable to other illnesses. Moreover, the burden of fetching water often falls on women and girls, who have to walk long distances and carry heavy loads, which can affect their physical health, education, and safety.
The lack of water and sanitation has severe ramifications, impacting health, education, livelihoods, food security, gender inequality, and human dignity. Women and girls, usually burdened with fetching water and caring for the sick, have reduced educational and empowerment opportunities. Farmers grapple with droughts and floods, harming their crops and animals. Water scarcity can also spark conflicts and migrations.
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HELP US IN OUR MISSION TO END WATER POVERTY
Water is life’s essence, making WellBoring’s strategy of building wells at rural primary schools crucial. We believe education is the second cornerstone for shaping the future, even within nations themselves; hence, we intertwine water with schooling, and education with health, as our the key elements. This approach guarantees safe water to children and underpins education and community development, laying a foundation for a brighter future.
- Safe water access: We focus on creating and repairing wells, with attention to the communities’ specific needs, promoting health, and supporting education and community development.
- Supporting women and girls: Women and girls, who usually bear the responsibility for fetching water, benefit from local well construction, safeguarding their physical health, education, and safety.
- Enhancing education opportunities: By enabling children to be well, and reducing the time they spend fetching water, we increase their time for education, crucial for reducing poverty.
- Tapping into groundwater: We are making groundwater sustainably accessible in rural Africa, overcoming common challenges such as limited accessibility, ranging from the regions themselves to the 40-80 meter deep aquifers.
- Promoting health: With your help, we raise hygiene awareness, essential for disease prevention and, thereby diminishing water-related diseases.
- Combating water-borne diseases: Many communities resort to contaminated sources, causing diseases like diarrhoea and cholera. Your donation helps provide access to safe water, reducing the annual child mortality rate and even eliminating diseases like cholera.
- Impacting various life aspects: The lack of water has severe ramifications on health, education, livelihoods, gender inequality, and dignity. Your contribution supports the fight against these impacts.
While our forte is well creation and rehabilitation, we’re broadening our expertise in sanitation, and pioneering pilot projects. By donating to WellBoring, you directly contribute to a strategic and impactful approach to alleviating water poverty in Africa, providing access to life’s most basic and transformative need.
Your donation helps to change everything
- Diseases will be reduced
- Children learn safely and well
- Girls have opportunities
- Women are empowered
- Families are healthy and survive
- Reduced carbon emissions
- Hunger and poverty alleviated