World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization, reaching out to a hurting world. They serve the poor and displaced through programs that help save lives, bring hope and restore dignity. This assistance is given without regard to religious beliefs, gender or ethnic background.

 

 

Safe water is vital for healthy life. Think about it. Safe water is necessary for cooking, cleaning, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. Imagine how different Canada would be if we didn't have plentiful fresh water resources? Think about the more than one billion people in this world who have little choice when it comes to water.

In many parts of the developing world, people get their water from traditional water holes. This water may be clouded, dirty and disease-ridden. Livestock and wild animals often have direct access to the same pond or water hole. People may wash clothes and bathe there.  This unrestricted communal use of a water source causes contamination by small organisms, called microbes, which multiply under the hot sun.

Drinking this contaminated water causes life-threatening diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, bilharzia, guinea worm and other diarrheal diseases. Hand-dug wells, unless properly protected, are also likely to be similarly contaminated.

Every year, more than three million people around the world die from drinking contaminated water. More than two million of these are children.  Diarrhea is one of the five leading causes of avoidable death for children under five.

World Vision is working to provide the precious gift of clean, fresh water by drilling borehole wells, building water-storage containers and laying water piping to bring water to the centre of villages.

Water is life

Every year, more than three million people around the world die from drinking contaminated water. More than two million of these are children who have no choice but to consume water that is infested with disease.

In general, when water is scarce, it affects all aspects of life:

  • The daily trek to collect water consumes many hours. Women and children haul the precious liquid, one bucket at a time, over long distances.
  • School children miss out on valuable lessons.
  • Women have little time to care for children, tend to vegetable gardens, or do other chores.
  • A lack of reliable water sources contributes to malnutrition.
  • Without irrigation, crops wither.
  • Severe water shortages cause health disasters and force families to uproot and move in search of a water supply.
  • Organisms in the water multiply under the hot sun, so that drinking the water contributes to stomach ailments and illnesses like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, bilharzi and guinea worm. Hand-dug wells, unless properly protected, are also likely to be contaminated.

  • Every year, more than three million people around the world die from drinking contaminated water. More than two million of these are children – who have no choice but to consume water that is infested with disease.

 
 

 

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