For many people around the world, quality water is a luxury. Did you know that 884 million people don’t have access to safe drinking water? In an effort to solve this water crisis, the Denver-based international development organization Water for People is campaigning for “The Current of Change.”
The numbers of people who drink water that is unsafe for human consumption are astounding. An even more shocking figure is the people without adequate sanitation, which is 2.6 billion. Having access to quality water is important for survival and health, so Water for the People have recently rebranded its campaign to get a new lease on this worldwide water issue.
Water for the People was founded in 1991, and in 2009 alone it served more than 325,000 beneficiaries. Currently, its goal is to make 90 percent of the systems that it has supported become sustainable for 3-, 6- and 10-year periods. Although it’s imperative to setup sewage systems, it’s even more beneficial to ensure that they will be working for a long time to come. After all, these individuals overall health and well-being are at stake, and the water quality will only continue to worsen if sanitation isn’t in place.
To continue its efforts and achieve its objects, Water for the People supplies areas in Africa, Asia, Central America and South America with appropriate technologies for sanitation purposes such as traditional pit latrines, improved pit latrines, ventilated improved pit latrines, arbor loos, fossa alternas, urine diversions, pour flushes and flush toilets. These structures provide basic sewer systems to prevent human waste from contaminating drinking water.
In order for Water for the People to continue its efforts and provide communities with sewage infrastructure, this non-profit organization relies on generous donors, field partners and dedicated volunteers from the World Water Corps. Fortunately, all of the support has enabled this organization to serve the needs of local communities around the world.
Photo: Courtesy of EveryStockPhoto.com.
