WHY WATER & SANITATION?

The inability to access clean water is a profound problem affecting families in many parts of the world. Globally, 2 billion people do not have a safely managed source of drinking water, and 1.7 billion do not have basic sanitation facilities at home like toilets or latrines (World Health Organization, 2022).  The effects of climate change are exacerbating shifts in water availability.  Clean water and improved sanitation play a significant role in reducing disease, increasing children’s school attendance, and improving people’s ability to contribute to the workplace.  By investing in water and sanitation in under-resourced communities, women and children – who disproportionately bear the burden of fetching water – are especially impacted.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 3.6 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services.
• 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services.
• 2 billion people depend on healthcare facilities without basic water services.
• 2.3 billion people lack a basic hand washing facility with soap and water at home.
• An estimated 1.2 million lives are lost each year due to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene practices. 

OUR RESPONSE

One Day’s Wages comes alongside grassroots partners to install safe drinking water systems, construct latrines and hand-washing stations, and spread awareness about improved hygiene and sanitation.  Since 2009, we have supported 54 water and sanitation projects in under-resourced communities, impacting over 400,000 people.  Through our partnerships, Achoi and her 7 children no longer have to walk long distances from their village in South Sudan to collect water, and Nancie can earn income from selling vegetables thanks to a rainwater collection system in her Haitian town.   

Header photo: Project #262, EOS International