The global water crisis | Water, a vital resource
In our daily lives, we often forget just how important water is. We use it every day: to wash ourselves, brush our teeth, cook, do laundry and, of course, to drink.
Access to clean water provides us with hygiene standards that protect us from deadly diseases. The vegetables and meat on our plates also depend on there being enough water for plants and animals.
In short, our entire lives depend on water. Humanity needs water.
Despite its enormous importance, around 700 million people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. That is roughly one in ten people.
Especially in Africa's arid regions, many people cannot simply turn on a tap to get clean water. Before they can quench their thirst or wash their faces, they often have to walk many kilometres to the nearest water source.
The water they collect there for their families is usually contaminated and carries disease. Instead of helping them, it spreads illness. More than one million people die every year as a result of unsafe drinking water. That is like an entire major German city disappearing!
What is more, collecting water is often the children's responsibility. Instead of spending their time learning, they have to fetch water.
Across an entire village, this means there is no rising generation able to break the cycle of poverty. No education, no progress, no way out of poverty.
When you donate to provide water, you are not only quenching people's thirst.
It is about so much more.
Water is the first step towards self-sufficiency: with enough water, people can raise livestock and grow crops. Water is the first step towards better health. Water is the first step towards education.
Water is the first step towards a better life.
