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Why Water?

Health and wellness, education and training, and empowerment (three areas of focus for WaterStep) all start with safe water.  While the problem is huge, the solutions are simple. Utilizing safe water solutions and effective training, an empowered community can learn to take care of their own water for generations. Safe water is the first step to achieving health, getting an education, and learning work skills; ultimately leading to community transformation.

A young student learning to make his water safe to drink

Health & Wellness

WaterStep delivers solutions that improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals and communities we serve. Mothers no longer have to make the agonizing choice to give their children water they know will make them sick. Communities are thriving with a drastic increase in school attendance and healthy men and women who are able to work and provide for their families. 

Education & Training

WaterStep supports effective education and training programs to build healthier communities around the globe. Training community members how to operate water systems, fix broken wells, and teach health and hygiene ensures that the solutions are long-term. Education and training support sustainable solutions and create a ripple effect as people who have been trained go on to teach and train others.

Empowerment

WaterStep provides people with tools and opportunities to improve their lives and thrive. Through new ways to generate income, innovative water transport tools, and solutions to maintain long-term community health; men, women and children are healthy and empowered to live better lives than they could ever have imagined.

WaterStep’s focus on health and wellness, education and training, and empowerment leads to transformed communities around the world. 

In 2022, WaterStep impacted 3,395,200 people in 27 countries! We are excited to continue this life-changing work in 2023.

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Why Water?

Why Water?

Water is the most essential element of life.

It can also be one of the most dangerous.

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Access to water is one of the biggest problems that humanity faces.

1 in 10 people on the planet do not have access to safe water. That’s 663 million people,  more than twice the population of the United States.1

Waterstep - why water - united states

Children are the most vulnerable,  a child dies every 60 seconds from diarrheal diseases.2

hours are spent each day collecting water.
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Dying from unsafe water is common, but even more people are living with it. Sickness from dirty water and the time spent collecting it takes its toll. The burden of water collection traditionally falls on women and children – 71% of water collection in Africa is done by women and girls.3 

Once the water is collected, it might not even be safe to drink. If you spend hours a day carrying water for your family, or have to stay at home because you’re sick with diarrhea, you cannot go to school, learn a skill, or take care of your family. You can’t work for a better life.

Health, education, and work all start with water.

While the problem is huge, the solutions are simple. Using simple tools and effecting training, an empowered community can learn to take care of their own water for generations.

Water is the first step to achieving health, getting an education, and learning work skills. Water can transform a community. One community we helped once had a full medical clinic and an empty school. But now the picture looks more like this:

Waterstep - why water - health icon

Health

Children live past the age of five, and women do not suffer from carrying heavy loads of water for their family. Overall community health improves.

Waterstep - why water - education icon

Education

Healthy children have the energy to attend school and the mental clarity to learn the skills that will help them have a successful life.

Waterstep - why water - work icon

Work

Women spend less time carrying water, which means they can focus on other things like learning work skills and taking care of their families.

Training is a Multiplier

Training community members how to operate water systems, fix broken wells, and teach health and hygiene ensures that the solutions are long-term. Not only does training support long-term solutions, training is a multiplier. If a team of volunteers train ten people in a community, who then each train ten other people, who then each train ten more, impact is multiplied.

WHY WATER FACTS

Please use the links below for more information on the impact of safe water and sanitation:

 

http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_statistics.html

http://www.unwater.org/statistics/en/

http://www.gwp.org/en/

http://who.int/topics/water/en/

A Smart Investment

The World Health Organization estimates that every $1 invested in water yields at least $4 for the local economy.4
Water provides health, education, and work for communities.

References
  1. ‘Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water – 2014 update.’ World Health Organization and UNICEF. 2014 http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112727/1/9789241507240_eng.pdf
  2. ‘Child Mortality Report’ UNICEF. 2013. http://www.childinfo.org/files/Child_Mortality_Report_2013.pdf
  3. ‘The Millennium Development Goals Report.’ United Nations. 2012 http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Static/Products/Progress2012/English2012.pdf
  4. ‘Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach MDG target and universal coverage.’ World Health Organization. 2012. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/75140/1/WHO_HSE_WSH_12.01_eng.pdf?ua=1
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