Taking a Deep Dive into World Water Day | Red Nose Day USA

We’re diving into how children all over the world are affected by access to safe water. Right here. Right now.

First, a quick poll: Around the world, how many people lack safe drinking water at home?

A. 1.3 million
B. 587 million
C. 2.1 billion
D. 1.7 billion

The answer is – 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, and more than twice as many lack safe sanitation. That’s no joke.

Let’s look at some specific countries. In Cambodia, 34% of people do NOT have access to a safe source of drinking water. In Liberia, almost 3,000 people, including 1,800 children under 5, die each year from diarrhea – nearly 90% of which is directly related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Poor sanitation is also a contributing factor, through its impact on malnutrition, to other leading causes of child mortality. A natural disaster can make things go from stable to bad, or bad to worse. Months after Hurricane Maria, for instance, 50% of Puerto Ricans reported that people in their households still could not get enough water to drink.

So, what can we do about it?

Well, the good news is that hundreds of organizations around the world are working on it. That’s how, between 1990 and 2015, almost 1.9 billion people have gained access to an improved sanitation facility.

Not bad right?

And you’re a part of that when you show your support.

We’ve partnered with charity:water in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Nepal to bring 104,843 children safe drinking water. We also joined with Oxfam America to respond to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.

Together we ensured access to safe water for 35,000 vulnerable children and adults impacted by the storms And in Liberia, we partnered up with Oxfam America again to bring roughly 7,000 children access to safe, quality WASH facilities.

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