Advocacy Project: Fact Sheet

My bill suggests sending money to developing countries to help provide clean drinking water to the people. You may ask why should we send money to other countries for water? Here are some humbling facts about drinking water in some developing countries.

A child dies every 15 seconds from diseases caused by a lack of safe water and sanitation, that's 1.5 million children dying from preventable diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and typhoid every year.

It is the second leading cause of child mortality, accounting for 15% of child deaths globally.

Today, one in eight people still do not have access to safe drinking water and more than half of the diseases in the world are caused by unclean water.

The average economic return on an investment in drinking water in developing countries is roughly $4.4 per $1 invested. This comes from savings in healthcare, and increased productivity from education.

Less than 50% of the population of the world has access to safe drinking water.

The lack of water is the primary cause of hunger, disease, and poverty in developing countries.
      Without water, crops and livestock die, leaving people to go hungry and become weak.
      Everyday, tens of thousands of people die from causes directly related to contaminated water.
      Without water, sick children lack the energy to go to school and learn.

More than 2 billion people are infected with helminthes, a soil-transmitted worm that nests in the intestines, and schistosomes, parasites that hatch in water, infect humans by penetrating the skin, and are passed in urine or feces.

According to the United Nations in its World Water Development Report, as many as seven billion people in sixty countries could face water shortages by the year 2050.

50% of the population in developing countries is exposed to polluted water.

As you can see here, there are many reasons why we need to help bring safe drinking water to developing countries. Also you can see that in the long run we will save big with productivity and lower healthcare costs.

 Resources:

Concern Worldwide
Global Water
Innovations for Poverty Action
Net Industries