About WaterAid

WaterAid

About Wateraid

What does WaterAid do?

WaterAid enables the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. These basic human rights all connect to health, education and livelihoods and is the first essential step in overcoming poverty.

WaterAid tackle the issue from all angles. They work with local partners to deliver clean water and decent toilets, and promote good hygiene, and campaign to change normal for everyone, everywhere.

To find out more about WaterAid you can visit their website

The Problem

Water is a life source. It’s beautiful. It’s a basic human right — for drinking, washing, cooking, hygiene. Yet, every day, millions of people go without access to clean water. More people have access to mobile phones than functional toilets. We want to help change that.

The Solution

One way WaterAid help is through WASH programs.

What are WASH programs?

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is built around everyone having access to safe water, adequate sanitation and knowledge of good hygiene practices.

Importantly, these three things go together.

You can’t do one well without having the others.

WASH programs are all about providing education, empowerment and support around these three things:

Water

That everyone should have access to clean water.

1 in 10 people in the world lack access to safe water – that is 663 million people

Sanitation

Ensuring everyone has access and use of a basic toilet.

40% of the worlds population don’t have access to a toilet, that’s 2.5 billion people

Hygiene

Nurturing good hygiene practices especially hand washing with soap

It has been estimated that hand washing alone has the potential to cut the risk of diarrhoea associated deaths almost in half, which could save hundreds of lives every day.

The Opportunities

The realities of life without water for hundreds of millions of people around the world can be really challenging and uncomfortable to think about, but it’s incredibly important that we do, because it doesn’t have to be this way. Although the reality can make us feel unsure of where to even start, I hope this information will help you reflect on and celebrate what water brings to our lives, often without us even being conscious of it!

When people have access to water, they have so many more opportunities that they wouldn’t normally have:

Girls can get an education
Getting your period is hard enough in societies where there’s still stigma, shame and taboos surround menstruation. Add onto that not having access to clean water or a toilet means there’s nowhere for girls to clean change, wash and keep their privacy at school. As a result, girls often drop out, help with domestic chores and water collection, don’t get an education and fall behind, continuing the cycle of uneducated and poverty stricken women. Having toilets and clean water to change sanitary pads can be the difference between a girl staying in school or not.

Check out this story of how water affects girls schooling

Not having to live in fear of being attacked
Lack of toilets makes women and children particularly vulnerable. They face the shame of having to defecate in public so often wait until nightfall to relieve themselves. They risk being attacked after dark, though it means painfully holding their bladder and bowels all day. Women will often go into the forest to defecate and run the risk of being attacked or sexually abused in the middle of the night.

See what it was like for Rarura living without a toilet

Women lead the way with gender equality

Women can do more than just fetch water. WaterAid focuses on study, career and leadership, inspiring people to think differently about gender roles. This work is so important because we know that when women are able to pull themselves out of poverty, they take their families and communities with them.

By challenging the usual notions of men’s and women’s work in the community and empowering women to take on leadership roles it paves the way for women of the next generation.

Communities are empowered and connected

WaterAid educates and empowers communities to understand the importance of washing their hands and having a toilet. The community is responsible for committing to change, and leads change in both infrastructure and behaviour. This is the most effective way to ensure that solutions are adopted and last for the long haul. Every home is responsible for building their own toilet, which they take pride in and are supported by the community.

People can break free from poverty

Because a community has access to clean water it not only means that people are physically stronger and healthier, but means that they can now grow crops to provide additional financial and nutritional support for their families. It’s been shown that a dollar invested in sanitation yields $5.50 in increased economic prosperity.

Reduced malnutrition for children

Around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoea related diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. By having access to clean water means children can not only have a longer life expectancy but understand from a young age the importance of clean water and sanitation.

Women can give birth safely

289,000 women dying from childbirth complications each year. Having access to clean water for hand washing by the birth attendant, cutting the umbilical cord with a sterile blade and having a clean delivery surface can mean life or death for a mother or child.