12.1 million people don't have clean water close to home.
12.1 million people don't have clean water close to home.
That's two in five people.
20.7 million people don't have a decent toilet of their own.
20.7 million people don't have a decent toilet of their own.
That's almost two thirds of the population.
More than 3,700 children under five the age of die every year from diarrhoea
More than 3,700 children under five the age of die every year from diarrhoea
caused by dirty water, and poor toilets and hygiene.
A cleaner, healthier future
In the village of Namarika, diarrhoea used to be a life-threatening problem. It was normal for 20 people in the community to die from it in a year.
Juliana Mwemedi, 45, has had eight children, but Luisa, Esperanza, and Vinisto did not survive. They died from diarrhoea before they were three years old.
“In the past, we had to travel a long way for water and it was dirty,” she explained. “There were insects in it and during the dry season we had to queue.”
In 2012, we installed a pump with our local partner that now serves more than 800 households. We also built 60 toilets and raised awareness of hygiene in the community.
“There is not much diarrhoea anymore,” says Juliana. “My daughter now lives near the water point, so she can always be clean."