SANATU ZAMBANG STUDIOS (Podcast)

The water crisis is the #1 global risk based on impact to society (as a measure of devastation), and the #8 global risk based on likelihood (likelihood of occurring within 10 years) as announced by the World Economic Forum, January 2015. 750 million people around the world lack access to safe water; approximately one in nine people.  Diarrhea caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene kills an estimated 842,000 people every year globally, or approximately 2,300 people per day. 82% of those who lack access to improved water live in rural areas, while just 18% live in urban areas. In many countries, women are responsible for finding and fetching water for their families. All the water they need for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning. They walk miles, carry heavy burdens, wait for hours and pay exorbitant prices. The work is back-breaking and all-consuming. Often the water is contaminated, even deadly. In these instances, they face an impos...

In raising community awareness, it is important to understand the root causes of problems. Many illnesses related to water security come from poverty and exploitation. Amsha Africa Foundation is taking steps to improve water supply in the rural communities in Africa by working together with community based organizations to assess existing water supplies and develop a plan for community water security. This article is about water scarcity and what happens when people don’t have enough water to stay healthy. For the people who collect and carry water — usually women and children — water scarcity can mean traveling long distances in search of water. Collecting and carrying water over long distances causes many health problems. For farmers, water scarcity means hunger when drought causes crops to fail. For children, water scarcity can mean dehydration and death. In hospitals, clinics, and other places where sick people get care, lack of water for washing ...