More than 1 billion people in the developing world live without safe drinking water or water for washing their food, hands and utensils before eating.
2.4 billion people also live without adequate sanitation.
Inadequate drinking water and sanitation lead to water-borne diseases (e.g. cholera, typhoid) water-related diseases (e.g. malaria, yellow fever, river blindness, sleeping sickness) water-based diseases (e.g. guinea worm and bilharzia) water-scarce diseases (trachoma and scabies) diarrhoea – a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa.
The crisis is worst in sub-Saharan Africa, where 2 in 5 people lack safe water. A baby in sub-Saharan Africa is almost 520 times more likely to die from diarrhoea than one born in Europe.
Improving access to clean water and sanitation would dramatically reduce illness and death in poor countries: a clean water supply reduces diarrhoea-related death by 25%, while improved sanitation reduces it by 32%.
Trachoma, one of the most common causes of blindness in the developing world, is linked to extreme poverty and poor sanitation. It is triggered by bacteria that cause repeated conjunctivitis. It is easily spread, especially where there is little water for people to wash their hands and faces regularly. There are 6 million new cases of trachoma every year in Africa.
Adequate water and sanitation would help vulnerable groups – especially women and girls. It would also provide significant economic benefit. The annual value of time saved globally would amount to $63.5 billion in 2015, while the health-related costs avoided would reach $7.3 billion per year worldwide in 2015.
AMREF is tackling Waterborne Diseases
Together with communities and district health councils, AMREF is improving water and sanitation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Southern Sudan and South Africa.
In Kibera, Kenya, local residents have installed latrines, bathrooms and water tanks with the support of AMREF. Clean-up campaigns have cleared drains and reduced refuse problems. We have set up school-based ‘wash clubs’, teaching children about hygiene and encouraging them to take the message home. Results show improvement – cases of diarrhea and intestinal worms have dropped by about 70% in target schools.
Improving water accessibility has reduced also reduced workloads for women and girls, increasing school attendance for children and helping women engage in other income-generating activities.
Learn more about AMREF’s work;
- Preventing and treating new infections of HIV/AIDS
- Raising awareness about Tuberculosis
- Educating people about the causes of Malaria
- Improving Maternal Health
