Why we do it

In 2024, 3,200 children under 5 died every day from pneumonia and diarrhoea alone. That is one death every 27 seconds from just two preventable diseases. This does not include the children who were sick and miserable and missed school. These are diseases of poverty but they are easy to prevent by providing a standard of living that includes clean water. Find out more here.

​

Most of the children who develop these infectious diseases are in sub-Saharan Africa and the remainder are in other low- and middle-income countries. Much of their illness and many of those lives can be prevented by providing access to simple determinants of health such as sanitation, childhood vaccinations, and enough food but especially to clean water.

​

Dirty water contributes greatly to many infections including pneumonia, skin disease and gastrointestinal infections. The latter cause diarrhoea, result in dehydration, a loss of nutrients, lack of appetite, anaemia, and damage to the gut lining that in turn causes malnutrition making children increasingly susceptible to illness. Children easily fall into a cycle of repeated infection and poor nutritional status that impacts negatively not only on their physical growth, but also their cognitive development. Children who are repeatedly ill like this do not attend school or play with friends which further impacts on their development.  

​

In 2024, 2.2 billion people worldwide did not have access to safe drinking water and 646 million children did not have clean water, toilet facilities, or somewhere to wash their hands at school (UN, 2025). Children in rural areas are at an even higher risk of disease due to greater poverty than urban children.

 

We at Water For A Village know that we can at least assist some children to have a better life and to go to school. We cannot fix everything – but we can help some.