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Sustainable, Safe
Drinking Water for People in the Developing World
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| Water for People (WFP) is a nonprofit
organization that helps people in developing countries improve their quality of
life by supporting sustainable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene projects.
Established in 1991, WFP provides financial assistance – and on a limited
basis, volunteer technical assistance – to organizations and the people they
work with in developing countries. Our commitment is to help people help
themselves. |
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| Water for People projects range from
simple village water and sanitation systems, operator workshops to utility
management training and community education. They vary in size, benefiting
communities of 500 people as well as cities with 500,000 inhabitants, at a cost
of $500 to $25,000 per project. Examples include well projects in Nicaragua and
Zambia, village water systems in Ecuador and Ghana and the support of technical
and health "circuit" rider programs in Honduras. |
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Water for People recognizes that the
lack of technology is rarely the stumbling block to solving water and sanitation
problems in developing countries. Economic, social, political and cultural
considerations are critical to the success of a project. In all WFP projects,
capacity and institution building, community participation, sanitation, health
education, and operation and maintenance are emphasized to ensure that projects
are sustainable.
To address these issues, Water for
People builds partnerships with existing water, sanitation and health
development organizations and the communities they serve. These organizations
are typically small, indigenous organizations or field offices for international
aid agencies. Working through these groups, WFP provides technical, managerial
and financial support only as needed. Partner-facilitated activities include
forming community water committees, setting up water tariffs and band accounts
and providing grassroots health education and sanitation training.
Also necessary for project success
and sustainability is the commitment of the target community. Water for People
strongly believes that project beneficiaries must be actively involved in all
aspects of a project. Local people must support the project with both their
in-kind and financial resources. It is critical that WFP nurture such local
autonomy, initiative and ownership.
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Imagine that the water you used every
day for cooking, drinking and washing came not from a reliable treatment plant
or protected well, but from the banks of a muddy stream a mile walk from your
home; a water source shared by humans and animals alike. Think about the time
and energy it would take you each day to carry 10 or 20 kilograms of this
precious liquid in a container, balanced on your head, over a rocky trail to
your home. Adding to your dilemma, what if you knew that your only choice of
water often made your family sick. Men, women and children in the developing
countries of the world need not imagine; they are forced to deal with this
plight every day.
According to UNICEF, 1.1 billion
people lack access to safe drinking water in the developing countries of the
world. Moreover, 2.9 billion have no adequate sanitation facilities, forcing
people to an isolated spot to heed the call of nature. People in rural Africa,
mainly women and children, spend as many as 40 billion hours each year hauling
water. Water-related diseases contribute to nearly four million child deaths
each year, or 11,000 children each day.
The task of gathering, hauling and
drinking unsafe water is harmful to more than one’s health. Water-related
illnesses rob people of the ability to put in a full day of productive work in
the home, on the farm, at the factory, or in the office. This also means less
time to simply rest or enjoy and uninterrupted spell of recreation. When
children spend an inordinate amount of their time gathering water or caring for
siblings as their mother hauls water, schooling is interrupted. Arrested
development is attributed to marginal educational levels and a less able
workforce. Safe, sustainable drinking water is a fundamental building block for
improvement in the quality of peoples’ lives.
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