DID YOU KNOW THAT...
An estimated 4,100 children die daily from diarrheal diseases, which are spread through poor sanitation and hygiene: the leading cause of death for child mortality.
UNICEF estimates that half the world's schools lack access to safe drinking water.
Half the world's malnutrition can be attributed to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. Estimates reveal that 88 percent of disease globally is attributable to an unsafe water supply and a lack of sanitation and hygiene.
40 billion working hours are spent collecting water each year in Africa (by women and girls) - comparable to a year's labor for the entire workforce of France.
Around the globe, one out of every seven people lacks access to safe drinking water. That's over 890 million people. 100 New York Cities full of people without something as simple and basic and important as water. Most Americans don't think much about their water. We turn on a tap and have instant access to safe & clean fresh water that we can drink, cook, shower and clean with. This doesn't happen in many parts of the world.
Contaminated wells, dirty rivers, or ponds are all that many have, if they have it at all. From Bangladesh to Mozambique, communities fight cholera and other preventable water-borne diseases, many of which especially affect children, costing both lives and chance at education. Women may walk for several miles every day to fill a jug of unclean water for their family, in some cases risking their safety doing so.
Water is the most fundamental, important, and basic currency in the world. We need it to live. Water leads the way to hygiene, sanitation and better health. Better health leads to education and education leads to the steps out of poverty.
A small drop can have a huge ripple.
Clean water = healthier life.
Healthier lives = productive communities.
Water = hope. It's as simple as that.
Access to clean water combats extreme poverty, global disease, economic instability, and political stability. In keeping with the mission of HTHH, clean water is a currency for peace around the world.
Clean water is also a remarkably easy thing to achieve:
Join us by volunteering and make this happen!
Call or write your Congressman or Senator and let them know you support the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009, which sets a goal of reaching 100 million people with first-time, sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015.
Investing in clean water not only helps communities have healthier lives and more access to education, but it promotes the growth of local, small businesses and supports smart initiatives. Water is the most fundamental currency of all; a small investment to provide a community with secure clean water has a huge impact. Your dollars will go to building wells, providing water purification systems, and addressing sanitation issues both in the United States and around the world. Join us today.
Visit these sites for more information:
www.hopethroughhealinghands.org
www.waterequalshope.com
www.facebook.com/hopethroughhealinghands
