Water is essential. But water also spreads disease. Water is the cause of death of millions worldwide.
In the third world, the lack of clean drinking water and proper sanitation (read: toilets) is the root cause of many wider issues, notably:
- Children have to walk for hours a day to visit wells- time better spent in school.
- Teenage girls drop out of school because they don’t want to use a pit to go to the toilet in front of everyone.
- Lack of clean sources of water means people are forced to drink dirty water – even they know it is bad for them.
- People get ill – death amongst children is a normal fact of life amongst mothers.
Fixing the water supply will mean people can focus on other things, such as working, learning, and caring for others.
Provision of proper sanitation and water supply is cheap by western standards. A well and toilet for a village costs a few thousand dollars; estimated around $20 per person on average.
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