In case you did not know it … More than 800 million people currently live without access to safe drinking water, and more than 2 billion live without even basic sanitation. As tragic as this crisis is, it can be solved!
Access to safe water and sanitation is at the heart of achieving many of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, including reducing child mortality, ending extreme hunger, attaining universal primary education and empowering women.
CARE is on the ground all around the world to improve water safety issues. And our programs are showing astounding success. For example, CARE’s water and sanitation programs for schools in Kenya helped reduce girls’ absenteeism by almost 40 percent during a three-year period!
Addressing the water and sanitation crisis is one of the best ways to address the health of children younger than age 5. Safe water and sanitation programs decrease diarrheal disease, one of the biggest killers of children in sub-Saharan Africa and a major cause of malnutrition worldwide.
Please ask your representative to support current-level funding for water and sanitation and a strong International Affairs budget. These funds will allow the United States to be a global leader in tackling a solvable problem.
Tags: Advocacy, Anti-poverty strategies, health care, water
