Water is a luxury that I know I have taken for granted . Whether in our kitchen faucet, refrigerator, bathroom faucet, the shower, a hose outside…clean and drinkable water is always easily accessible and available for my family and I. However, there are millions of children around the world who are suffering because they don’t have access to safe water and sanitation. I saw it first hand during my mission trip to Haiti last year.  Unfortunately, without clean water the health and education of these children are negatively impacted. Not to mention that they are forced to grow up way to fast and miss out on enjoying their childhood.

Effects on Health:

  • Families aren’t able to grow and cook enough food so their children often suffer from malnutrition.
  • Every day thousands of children (most of which are younger than 5 years old) are affected by diseases associated with unsafe water and sanitation like parasitic infections, trachoma and the skin disease scabies. These diseases can slow children’s learning potential, cause blindness and ultimately lead to their deaths.
  • In many countries children, particularly the girls, are expected to collect water for their family and it’s not as easy as going to to the kitchen and getting us a glass, or even a gallon, of water. These children are carrying heavy water containers on their frail bodies for miles. That enormous  strain can damage their heads, necks and spines.

Effects on Education:

  • Since the children are responsible for collecting the family’s water or because they are sick from water-related diseases, the children are missing school…a lot!
  • When a girl reaches puberty, she often quits school because there are no private sanitation facilities available to them at the school.
  • For those children who are able to go to school, their malnutrition makes it’s hard for them to focus and concentrate.

Providing children with clean and accessible water and toilet facilities gives children in the poorest of countries a fighting chance at becoming healthier, getting a good education and the chance to be a kid!

About WaterAid:

This is where WaterAid comes in. Founded in 1981, WaterAid helps the world’s poorest people gain access to safe water and sanitation and provides hygiene education through the use of affordable and locally appropriate solutions. This includes working with schools to promote hygiene practices such as regular handwashing and checking that latrines are designed in such a way that children are able to use them properly.

Find out how you can get involved by visiting WaterAid’s website.

I wrote this post as part of The Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.