ACCESS TO WATER IS PROFOUNDLY LINKED TO POVERTY
Water shortage, poor water quality and insufficient sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world, especially for women and girls who spend endless hours fetching water over long distances.
The cycle of water and poverty continues where women must undergo these experiences, as they are often excluded from productive or income-earning labour.
The lack of water is an often insurmountable obstacle to helping oneself. Communities are unable to grow food, build housing, stay healthy, stay in school and people can’t keep working. Therefore, without clean water, the possibility of breaking out of the cycle of poverty is incredibly slim.
Water is essential for growing and processing raw goods for food and textiles. It is essential for industry and manufacturing, from local farmers tending to their crops to washing produce to processing goods.
Without safe water and sanitation, workers and customers have to leave their employment to find water and a place to go to the bathroom. Schools in rural areas often have a difficult time retaining teachers when they cannot provide sanitation facilities in or near the school.
Majority of clean water sources often found a great distance from villages, the village residents are forced to spend hours each day simply finding and transporting water. The time spent gathering water halts any ability to do a trade and earn a living.
Health is an important factor when employed or self-employed, we need to be healthy in order to be productive, water-borne diseases are a constant threat to health, keeping people out of the work force and in poverty.
