Water is life...

Could you imagine if you had to walk 6 miles just to get clean water --- water to drink, cook, do laundry, clean your home, or take a shower - well that is what many people in rural Sierra Leone have to do, and most often this burden falls upon the woman and children of the community.  These already vulnerable populations are required to travel miles and miles throughout the day carrying heavy loads of water just to meet their basic needs.

Having to spend hours a day collecting water prevents people from taking part in activities that could otherwise help lift them out of this desperate situation - like children going to school - with no education the cycle of poverty is doomed to continue. If there is no water food cannot be grown, and people remain hungry and malnourished.  Without clean available water a multitude of illness’s constantly plague men, woman, and children in these communities -  including typhoid and cholera, just to name a few. 

In a country that sees both a rainy season and a dry season the lack of infrastructure that exists to maintain an adequate supply of fresh water year-round is one of the main factors challenging development.  The simplest measure of providing clean safe accessible drinking water would contribute significantly to a villages overall health and prosperity.  When water is easily available people can concentrate on other tasks - like growing food, going to school , and doing business - if people are sick they cannot work!

Clean safe water is being used and abused all over the world.  Water security is an issue we must all become familiar with, it is not only limited to the villages of Sierra Leone -- but we can begin by bringing our awareness and attention to those most vulnerable,  those whose lives currently depend on it.

A few facts about water...

• 1 in 6 people on planet Earth have no access to safe water - that’s 1 billion people!
• Half the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water-related illnesses
• 1 in 4 deaths of children under five is linked to poor water & sanitation
• Village’s with access to clean water can see a 50% decrease in infant mortality

*Water is Life*

See http://www.khadarlis.org/ for more information or to see how you can help!