Today is Blog Action Day 2010 and the topic is important - access to clean water.
I live in Memphis, TN and we drink from artesian wells. Our water requires no filter at the tap. It tastes great and is plentiful. It is not so for nearly 1 billion people around the globe. I have a hard time getting my head around the figure - 1 billion. These people lack access to clean water which leads to economic hardship, disease, and death.
Children are close to my heart. How does the lack of clean water affect children throughout the world?
Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.
90% of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are to children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.
Support the UN's effort to bring clean and safe water to millions.
