WaterAid invites churches to help bring clean water and toilets to healthcare facilities in Mozambique this Christmas
WaterAid is asking community groups, faith groups and schools across the UK to support its Water Means Life appeal this Christmas and help bring clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to healthcare centres around the world.
The international charity’s appeal aims to raise £2.5 million between November 2022 and February 2023. Funds raised will bring water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities to healthcare centres in Mozambique and across the world.
Currently one in four healthcare centres have no clean water on site and almost half of healthcare centres have no basic handwashing facilities, putting staff and patients at a greater risk of getting ill.
Maria, who is a nurse at Posto de Saúde de Napacala health centre in Niassa Province, Mozambique said,
“We use the water from the well for patients’ laundry, delivering babies and washing our hands between appointments.”
“The situation is very difficult. And when our well runs dry we’re unable to wash our hands. We have in total 16 communities around the health centre in desperate need of water. Water for me is life and without it there’s no life.”
By fundraising for WaterAid this Christmas, congregations and community groups can help tackle the global hygiene crisis in healthcare centres across the world. Patients are dying needlessly; nurses and doctors are at risk and there is a higher threat of future pandemics.
Wanji Wambari-Kairu, Supporter Exploration and Influencing Lead at WaterAid, who saw the situation faced by health centres in Mozambique first-hand, said:
“Nurses, cleaners and doctors go above and beyond to treat their patients, but it’s not enough. When dirty water is the only option you have, every effort to heal risks bringing harm. It’s heartbreaking that 3.85 billion people use or work in a healthcare facility without basic hygiene services.”
“By joining WaterAid’s appeal your church can start working with nurses like Maria and local communities to bring clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to health centres like Posto de Saúde de Napacala and around the world. This will make a lasting difference and save lives.”
WaterAid has produced a range of free fundraising resources, including Sunday School session and fundraising ideas ranging from bauble decorating competitions to wreath making, a presentation on Maria’s story and a poster. Churches can even book a free WaterAid speaker to come and talk to their congregation about the campaign.
Access these resources and find out more about the Water Means Life appeal at wateraid.org/uk/christmas
WaterAid also invites communities to celebrate at a very special carol concert on 6 December at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Expect beautiful performances from the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, the City of London Sinfonia Orchestra, and international classical singer Carly Paoli. Book tickets at www.wateraid.org/concert
ENDS
For more information, please contact: Rachel Sewell, PR Manager, [email protected]. Or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552, or email [email protected].
Notes to Editors:
WaterAid
WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 28 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and nearly 29 million people with decent toilets.
For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk, follow us on Twitter @WaterAidUK, @WaterAid or @WaterAidPress, or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
- 771 million people in the world – one in ten – do not have clean water close to home[1].
- Almost 1.7 billion people in the world – more than one in five – do not have a decent toilet of their own[2].
- Over 300,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's more than 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes[3].
- Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs[4].
[1] WHO/UNICEF (2021) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.
[2] WHO/UNICEF (2021) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.
[3] WaterAid calculations based on: Prüss-Ustün A, et al. (2019). Burden of Disease from Inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Selected Adverse Health Outcomes: An Updated Analysis with a Focus on Low- and Middle-Income Countries. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. vol 222, no 5, pp 765-777. AND The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (2020) Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
[4] WaterAid. (2021) Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery.
