Child Development and Public Health

For this weeks blog I chose the public health topic of access to healthy water.  It is meaningful to me because of its relevance even today.  I live in California and we are currently suffering from one of the worst droughts in history.  It is affecting our everyday lives, crops and economy.  But even this is nothing compared to what villages have to endure daily.  It is shocking to know that in some parts of the world clean water is still inaccessible.  Lack of water may cause infant brain damage, stunting, dehydration and in the worst cases death.  With water being one of the essential keys to life, development and the survival of any species, water is the difference between life and death. 

It truly makes you grateful for having a clean water system in your life and motivates you to want to help others who do not.  While researching the topic I found an organization that presents the facts, the approach and ways to assist.

Facts:

768 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in ten of the world's population.
(WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2013 update)

Around 700,000 children die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation - that's almost 2,000 children a day. 
(WaterAid 2012/WHO 2008/The Lancet 2012)

Diarrhea is the third biggest killer of children under five years old in Sub-Saharan Africa.
(Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) 2012)

Every year, around 60 million children are born into homes without access to sanitation. 
(UNICEF, 2006 http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Progress_for_Children_No._5_-_English.pdf page 3)

Infants and young children are the most vulnerable to water-related diseases. Children under the age of five account for 90% of deaths due to diarrheal disesases. Repeated diarrhea and nematode infections - often caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation - are also associated with 50% of childhood malnutrition

(WaterAid, 2014 http://www.wateraid.org/us/the-water-story/the-crisis)

The website also shares the story of Tiangay Sesay:

-The brutal civil war forced her to flee, and when she returned to the village the river water was the only source of drinking water. One day, her baby daughter suddenly fell sick with terrible diarrhea and died three days later. "She was one year and two months old," Tiangay told us. "She was called Hawa. It was not easy to console me. Having run away for years and coming home with a healthy child as I saw her, I thought she would be my treasure in my old age." (WaterAid, 2014, para. 1,2. http://www.wateraid.org/us/the-water-story/our-impact/stories-from-our-work/tiangay-story).

Approach:

WaterAid delivers sevices, promotes policy and advocacy and produces publications on the crisis and progress.

Assist:

WaterAid provides assistance in writing to congress, donating, fundraising and sharing stories and information though social networking.

It is hopeful to hear that progress is being made and I would like to be a part of that.  Whether it’s making a donation, fundraising or even campaigning and informing others about how they can help I think everyone can do something to ensure water for all.  The progress serves as an inspiration for all in the hopes that one day access to clean water will be had by everyone in the world. 

World Water Day is March 22, 2014! Check it out and donate!

http://www.wateraid.org/us/get-involved/world-water-day#/one-time-donation/USD/

Reference

WaterAid America. (2014). [Organization Website]. Retrieved from http://www.wateraid.org/us