1 in 10 people don’t have clean water close to home and two billion don’t have somewhere safe and dignified to go to the toilet.
But this can be even more challenging for someone like Selina - one of 1.3 billion people in our world who live with a disability.
15-year old Selina was unable to use the toilets at her school in Zambia. She faced a terrible choice that no one - let alone a child - should have to make:
I do not manage to go inside the toilet because it is impossible with a wheelchair. I drop off the wheelchair, crawl and hide behind the nearby bush behind the toilet structures to relieve myself. I find it very had to crawl inside a dirty toilet because it is impossible not to touch urine and other faecal matter left on the floor by other users.’’
Selina
What’s worse is that if Selina wanted to wash her hands after this, or drink water during the school day, she had to rely on other pupils to help her because the tap wasn’t accessible for her wheelchair either.
Children like Selina often end up dropping out of school to avoid the danger and indignity they face without inclusive water and toilets. Selina wants to be a nurse. But living without water and a safe toilet can put children’s futures in jeopardy.
Your gift today can help give people with disabilities the safety and dignity that clean water and decent toilets bring.
How we spend your donation
About WaterAid
WaterAid has teams in 28 countries across the world, working with our partners to transform millions of lives every year by improving access to clean water, toilets and hygiene.
Since 1981, we’ve reached over 27 million people with clean water. But we can’t stop there.
In the last 39 years, we’ve gone from strength to strength to become one of the most respected organisations dealing solely with water, sanitation and hygiene issues.
What do WaterAid do?
While installing taps and toilets is essential to our work, we do so much more. We convince governments to change laws, link policy makers with people on the ground, pool knowledge and resources and rally support from people and organisations around the world, making lasting change happen on a massive scale.
Why regular donations matter
Regular gifts provide us with sustainable income so we can plan projects and commit to helping more people.