NEW UNICEF and WHO REPORT ON WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE ACCESS

The most recent global numbers on progress towards ending the global water crisis have been released by the WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) in a report entitled “Progress on household drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene”. This report shares global progress from 2000 to 2017. During this time frame, 1.8 billion people have gained basic water service and 2.1 billion people have gained basic sanitation service. The number of people without basic water access and the number of people practicing open defecation have been cut in half during this time period. The new totals are  785 million people without basic water access including 144 million people who still use surface water as their drinking water source and 673 million people practicing open defecation. This is significant progress but there are still great inequities resulting in the deaths of nearly 1,000 children every day because of inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. The biggest needs are with the rural poor.

The report includes the aspirational targets for universal coverage of safely managed water systems which is defined as having accessible water on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination. An estimated 2.2 billion people still are lacking this higher standard of safely managed water and the comparable number for safe sanitation services is 4.2 billion people. Many countries still do not have reliable data on hygiene service levels but it’s clear there is great need for improvement with an estimated 3 billion people (40% of people on the planet) still lacking basic handwashing facilities at home.

World Vision remains committed to reaching everyone, everywhere we work with clean water and improving access to sanitation and hygiene by 2030.  

KEEPING CLEAN WATER FLOWING TAKES EFFORT: SOMETIMES A LOT

There’s nothing like seeing a community get clean water for the very first time, but it’s equally rewarding to see the progress, year after year, as clean water transforms a community. That’s one of the reasons that I recently visited the community of Naomi Nalokai for the third time in six years. During my first visit, we captured Naomi’s story on video to share how she used to walk seven hours to collect filthy water from an open well and how a new solar powered water system had turned that walk into only minutes. I then saw her again a few years later and learned how her family was healthier and how she felt that she was a better mother now that she had more time to spend with her children.  

Here’s my report:

I’m not sure what I’ll learn during this visit, but I’m eager to see Naomi again. I’m greeted warmly by this strong Maasai woman whose story has moved so many people. She’s grateful to World Vision. We’ve made great progress in providing clean water to not only Naomi but the surrounding communities. Only about 10% of people here had basic water access when we began our work in 2006 and now about half of the people have a clean water source near their homes.   We’re also bringing clean water into the schools and health care facilities.   This was welcoming news to Naomi since she had to bring water to the nearby health clinic for the birth of her two year old Christine.  She tells me that she’s pregnant now and is grateful that her next delivery will be a more pleasant experience.

After spending time catching-up with Naomi and her husband, we visit her old water source. It’s covered with blue green algae and Naomi complains that the monkey’s poop in it. We then visit the water source provided seven years ago by World Vision. It’s up and running but was recently been damaged by an elephant who tore down the fence and broke the water pipe. Talk about a water hazard!

The water committee quickly managed the repairs caused by the elephant using the fees that they collect for use of the water. They explained how life was different before the water point. They were nomadic and migrated seasonally into Tanzania for water for their livestock as the local water source didn’t provide enough water during the dry season. Now they can stay in one place, children can go to school instead of migrating with the cattle, people are cleaner and don’t smell, and life is easier. They also have more income because the livestock is healthier and their cows produce more milk. 

The water committee didn’t initially charge for use of water by animals but the community agreed it’s the right thing to do and that’s allowed for quick repairs on the four occasions that the water point has broken down. The water system now supports 5,000 people with multiple collection points. The water committee told me that because of the fee collection system they have excess money and so they’ve used some of the money to build a new classroom at the school and they’ve funded 10 boys and 12 girls from the poorest families to go to secondary school.

I asked what the community did for water when the water point was broken. They tell me that they went back to fetching water from the old water point. Remembering that Naomi complained about the monkeys, I ask her if she treated the water from the well. She surprises me by telling me that she used the P&G water purification packets. She only uses the packets when the water kiosk isn’t working. World Vision uses these amazing packets as a bridge before communities have a permanent water source, and, also for situations like this, when the water source is damaged.

Another new challenge is that the regular testing of water quality by World Vision showed an unhealthy level of fluoride in the water. So, World Vision installed a membrane system to remove the fluoride.   

As I prepare to leave, the community asks me to please visit again and Naomi tells me that I’m always welcome. I’m grateful for this visit to renew friendships and to show, how sometimes, it can be quite complex to provide clean water that lasts in a community. Despite challenges of a rampaging elephant, monkey poop, and fluoride contamination, this community, in partnership with World Vision, has done what is needed to make sure that clean water keeps flowing.  

Prayer

• Give praise for the partnerships that World Vision is able to make with local communities to ensure that they take ownership of the water points and water continues to flow long after we’ve left the community.
• Give praise for the millions of people that World Vision is able to reach with clean water in the name of Jesus.
• Pray that we will be able to pick-up the pace and reach everyone, everywhere we work with clean water and dignified sanitation and hygiene.