Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Water Shouldn’t Kill
Water is a basic human need, yet 780 million people around the world lack access to clean water. Frequently, accessible water is contaminated, infecting people with waterborne diseases responsible for 2 million deaths a year. Children are the most vulnerable: 90 percent of deaths caused by diarrheal disease are of children under the age of 5.
We have been addressing these issues for more than 30 years, installing filters that clean contaminated water, digging wells, and installing water pipes where water is available yet inaccessible. Our initiatives also educate communities about sanitation and the fatal danger of waterborne diseases.
Donate TodayStories
Mao’s Story
Cambodia
Ardo’s Story
Ethiopia
Mercy’s Story
Zimbabwe
Monem’s Story
Yemen
Mao’s Story
Cambodia
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Mao’s Story
Clean Water Can Change Everything for Mao—eight of her children have died because of unsafe water.
Every year, over 800,000 little ones lose their lives because the water they depend on is not safe. Mao is 43 years old and the mother of 15 children, the eldest 24 and the youngest just 18 months. As we sat and talked, she told me how eight of her children had died, all as babies and all from diarrhea, or ‘sick stomachs,’ as she called it.
Mao told us the ages of each child she lost. The first one had died at only three months old. Each had died in her arms.
The biggest killer in Mao’s village was waterborne illness. Due to the long distance between Mao’s home and the nearest clean water source, Mao and her family often found themselves drinking water from the nearby lake, which our friend described as a “dirty, stagnant pond.”
Hygiene is also a major issue. Due to the lack of toilets in the village, Mao’s family and others do their business on the edge of the rice paddies. With the lack of sanitation facilities, the spread of disease is rampant, and the biggest victims are children under the age of 5. Their malnourished, often nonimmunized bodies, have barely developed a defensive system to fight disease.
Now knowing how difficult finding clean water would be and the deadly impact it would have on her family, Mao regrets having so many children. No parents should live with this regret. Eight tragedies that could have easily been prevented. And Mao’s story is just one of many thousands. No child should lose their life because of dirty water. There are families like Mao’s who need your help today. Without it, more children will die.
Your gift today donation to the Clean Water Can Change Everything campaign can save a child’s life from waterborne illness by providing access to clean water.
Donate right now: ADRA.org/water
Ardo’s Story
Ethiopia
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Ardo’s Story
My name is Ardo and I live in Kelafo, Ethiopia. I’m a 40 year-old woman, married and have five children. Life has never been easy here and it is hard to meet the basic necessities of life. The shortage of water for drinking and other basic human needs is one of our greatest challenges.
Women are often in charge of fetching water for our families, so on a daily basis I would travel for at least eight hours return to fetch two jar cans of water (20 litres each). For safety against wild animals, I would travel in a group with other women, leaving home at one o’clock in the morning so as to avoid the scorching midday sun.
Recently ADRA Ethiopia gave me a donkey cart with a good quality 200-litre water barrel. I now fetch enough water once every three days and get lots of time to carry-out other duties both at home and in my village. I can also use the donkey cart for transporting crops and other items from the fields and at times onto the market in Kelafo.
I have also been able to generate an additional income by transporting items for different people at a fee. I have also been able to have a tea shop and make up to 100 Birr ($4.50) each day. This is impacting my life and the life of my family positively. I want to thank ADRA and UNOCHA/HRF for the support.
Mercy’s Story
Zimbabwe
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Mercy’s Story
Having lost both her parents to AIDS, Mercy lives in an orphanage outside of Harare, Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the orphanage lacks access to clean water, making Mercy one of the many children living in Zimbabwe at risk of diseases like cholera. Contaminated water and improper sanitation are the primary reasons for cholera outbreaks, and children are among the most vulnerable to its deadly impact.
ADRA’s well-drilling project provides safe and clean drinking water for children like Mercy.
Members of the community had attempted four times to drill wells for the orphanage, but due to poor infrastructure and lack of proper drilling tools, these attempts had failed. The orphanage was left unable to provide the children with safe drinking water and a sanitary environment.
ADRA decided to give it one more try, bringing new and advanced drilling technology to assist in the orphanage’s efforts. After hours of drilling, the team finally hit water and installed a water pump for the orphanage. The precious gift of water was not lost on Mercy, the children, and the community leaders, who celebrated and rejoiced at the sight of water flowing.
ADRA has installed 21 wells in severely affected rural areas of Zimbabwe. Donations from all around the world provide ADRA with the resources needed to give communities access to clean water, such as drilling trucks and pumps. Now children like Mercy don’t have to travel miles for water, can avoid deadly waterborne diseases, and have a chance at a brighter future.
Monem’s Story
Yemen
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Monem’s Story
Monem, a 7-year-old living in Al Masraka, Yemen, makes the mile-long trek through a conflict-ridden area to draw water for his family. The youngest of five children, Monem is starting to show signs of trachoma, a painful and debilitating bacterial disease that has caused his older siblings to go blind. Contaminated water and the absence of latrines contribute to the contraction and spread of diseases like trachoma.
ADRA’s well-drilling project provides safe and clean water for children like Monem.
Monem’s family frequently depends on neighbors’ generosity to get by, but Monem worries about who will bring his family water when he goes blind. Given the unsafe area and travel distance, Monem knows that it will not be easy for his mother to get water for the family.
ADRA’s water system specialists spearheaded construction on a new well in Al Masraka. Just a few minutes away from Monem’s house, the well has a pump and a cistern for storing water. The new well now saves Monem from hours of backbreaking work. The clean water prevents the spread of diseases like trachoma—and while it might be too late for Monem and his siblings, hopefully the well will save other children from unnecessary suffering.
ADRA has installed numerous pumps in rural areas of Yemen. Donations from around the world provide resources for ADRA to drill wells and provide clean water to the areas in need. When children like Monem get sick less frequently and require less time to transport water, they have time to get an education and think about a better future.