Clean water vs. poverty
Clean water would go a long way toward relieving poverty. The statistics are staggering: one billion people (that's 1 in 8) do not have clean drinking water, 80% of illnesses are caused by lack of clean water, and more deaths are caused by lack of clean drinking water than are caused by war. Massive amounts of time and energy are spent in going to get unclean water and bring it back to the village, affecting women and children the most.
Instead of getting depressed, Scott Harrison got motivated to found charity: water.
“charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. We use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years.”
http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/
If you want to get excited and motivated, do check out the video on the page that shares his story. His excitement, hope and enthusiasm for charity: water are palpable.
http://www.charitywater.org/about/scotts_story.php
Scott states the problems and provides solutions that are not only low cost but also sustainable, using local labor.
Access to clean water close to the village transforms the village in more ways than one would imagine.
If women and children do not have to walk miles, for hours, for unsafe drinking water, their time could be put towards education for the children and food cultivation and community organization for the women.
If clean drinking water was available, diseases caused by unclean water would diminish.
If fresh water was available, villages could plant vegetable gardens and improve their diet.
charity: water encourages the use of both men and women in the project of digging the well and maintaining it. Women are trained to teach hygiene. The whole community benefits in having more time to learn, work, grow food, avoid and resist disease. Those benefits will be noticed by other villages that then will petition to have a well dug for them.
Clean water is basic for survival. It is also a linchpin to anti-poverty. When a village is free from disease, has basic sanitation, the people eating better, and children going to school, the cycle of poverty can be broken and for what cost? Not as much as you’d think.
Using local labor to dig and maintain the wells not only keeps the cost down but also unites the community in a common cause. Utilizing both men and women in the project promotes gender equality, and it is in areas of extreme gender inequality that you see the most malnutrition among the women and children. To be able to go to school instead of spending the whole day in search of water, the children have an opportunity for a better life. Having clean water to drink insures the children live long enough to see that better life.
“2524 water projects, serving 1,130,986 people as of 3.31.2010
charity: water funds a range of water solutions. These solutions include hand-dug wells, deep wells (boreholes), rehabilitations, spring protections, rainwater harvesting schemes, and biosand filters. In 2009, charity: water added projects in Cambodia and Sierra Leone. “
http://www.charitywater.org/projects/projects.php
charity: water in conjunction with Google Maps has the location of the wells that have been drilled so the donors can actually see where their donations go.
http://www.charitywater.org/projects/map/
Best of all, 100% of the donations go to the program.
“You may be wondering – how does charity: water give away 100%? A group of private donors, foundations and sponsors help pay for the everyday costs of running the organization. Our flights to the field, our staff, our office, even paperclips and ink toner are sponsored so your money goes straight to water projects. From the beginning, our mission was to restore people’s faith in charity, and one of the ways to do that was to direct 100% of donors’ money straight to project costs. In fact, we’re so passionate about giving 100% that we pay the paypal and credit card transaction fees each time you donate online. So each time someone gives, a true 100% goes straight to building a well.
Would you like to learn about supporting operating costs?
Contact supporters@charitywater.org “
Scott Harrison also attracts people to him who create unique ways to spread awareness, encouraging regular everyday people like you and me, to donate a little. For example, $20 buys you an e-card for the holiday to raise awareness as you send it, and that money goes directly to drilling wells. The average donation to charity: water is small – there have just been a lot of them. With enough people donating a little - big change can be made. This is the hope of One Percent Global and it is the result of efforts by organizations like charity: water.
Ready to become a member?
Yes, I'm ready to learn more about what 1% of the world's wealth can do to end poverty!
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