World Vision announces the expansion of the West Africa Water Initiative, a 14-member public-private partnership, to give corporations an opportunity to engage in increasing access to water, sanitation, and health facilities in Ghana, Mali, and Niger for a total financial investment of million over the next five years (through 2010).
Contaminated water, combined with poor sanitation and health practices, is largely responsible for illnesses that kill 3.4 million people each year. A child dies every 15 seconds from a preventable, water-related disease. Most of these children are younger than 5, and a majority--80 percent--are younger than 2. Approximately 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Sub-Saharan Africa has the least coverage-about 58 percent. Approximately 2.6 billion people have inadequate or nonexistent access to proper sanitation. Eighty-eight percent of sickness among children worldwide is caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
Adequate quantities of safe water, appropriate sanitation facilities, and good hygiene practices are necessary for healthy living. Health is the cornerstone of a self-sustaining livelihood. Without good health, parents cannot farm or work to feed themselves and their children. Millions of hours are lost annually in Africa because women and children must travel miles daily to collect and haul water for home use. These lost hours could be more productively spent on education, agricultural production, and other economic pursuits.