Friday, September 12, 2014

WASH…..Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

In America we are so fortunate! To be able to buy clean water, process a water purification system and be able to use water limitless. According to the CDC “Global access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education can reduce illness and death from disease, leading to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development (CDC, 2014).” Many countries lack access to clean water. Various factors influence this deterioration, including population growth, rapid urbanization, land use, industrial discharge of chemicals, and factors resulting from climate change. Nearly two million children die each year due to diarrhea and other infectious diseases resulting from unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene (CDC, 2014). In Kenya, 12.5 million people do not have access to an improved drinking water source (CDC, 2014). To prevent these deaths, CDC developed the Safe Water System (SWS), which includes a water treatment solution, vessels for safe water storage, and educa­tional materials to improve household water handling and hygiene practices. This program is just one example on how to improve access to clean water.

So how does all of this impact us?
Knowing this need inspires me to help. After researching I found numerous websites of organizations to help fund water treatment solutions and the building of water wells.


Center for Diease Control and Prevention. (2014, September 11). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/washington/~cdcatWork/pdf/safe_water_kenya.pdf
Center for Diease Control and Prevention. (2014, September 11). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/


1 comment:

  1. Before reading this article I never realized how much of an advantage that we have here in the United States when it comes to water. I love water so I am glad that I live here where the water is purified. If I lived in another country where water is not purified then I probably wouldn't drink it at all

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