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The Problem: Whilst water is the largest commodity on the planet it is also the largest crisis. Some key public statistics below:

844 MILLION

people in the world do not have clean water close to their home.

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2017

2.2 BILLION

people don’t have a decent toilet of their own.

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2017

31%

of schools don’t have clean water.

UNICEF, Advancing WASH in Schools Monitoring 2015

Every minute

a new born dies from an infection caused by lack of safe water and an unclean environment.

WHO 2015

Every 2 minutes

diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor toilets kills a child under 5, which is more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.

WASHWatch.org

443 MILLION

school days around the world are lost every year because of water related illnesses.

Human Development Report, 2005

Every $1

invested in water and toilets returns an average of $4 in increased productivity.

WHO 2012

Promoting good hygiene

is one of the most cost-effective health interventions

Disease Control Priorities, this edtion (volume 2) 2016

33% drop

if everyone, everywhere had clean water, the number of diarrheal deaths would be cut by a third.

Tropical Medicine and International Health, 2014

4 Building Blocks

Health

Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence including war. 43% of those deaths are children under five years old. Access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week.

Education

Clean water keeps children in school, especially girls. Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay at home for a week out of every month.

Time

In Africa alone, women spend 40 billion hours a year walking for water.  Access to clean water gives communities more time to grown food, earn an income and go to school - all of which fight poverty.

Female Empowerment

Women are responsible for 72% of water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clean water means access to toilets to sewerage but mostly to dignity. For women this also means security and respect.