Water is basic to life and health. Unfortunately, over 1 billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water. According to World Resources Institute, 80% of all sickness and disease worldwide is attributed to unsafe drinking water. According to the World Health Organization, a lack of safe drinking water takes a greater human toll than war, terrorism & weapons of mass destruction combined.

 

 

 

Here are some quick worldwide facts…

·         1.1 billion people don't have safe water to drink

·         A child dies every 15 seconds from a lack of clean water

·         1 in 4 children who die before age 5, die of a water-related disease

·         the number one killer in the world is unsafe drinking water

 

The lack of clean water is the leading cause of death in under-resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from illness linked to a lack of clean water—that includes 4,000 children a day.  

·      water-borne diseases (e.g. cholera, typhoid, Hepatitis A, giardia)

·      water-related diseases (e.g. malaria, yellow fever, river blindness)

·      water-based diseases (e.g. dysentery, guinea worm)

·      water-scarce diseases (trachoma and scabies)

The crisis is worst in sub-Saharan Africa, where 2 in 5 people lack safe water. A baby here is almost 520 times more likely to die from diarrhea than one born in the United States or Europe.

 

Trachoma, one of the most common causes of blindness in the developing world, is linked to extreme poverty and poor sanitation. It is triggered by bacteria that cause repeated conjunctivitis. It is easily spread, especially where there is little water for people to wash their hands and faces regularly. There are 6 million new cases of this preventable disease each year in Africa.

 

Sadly, tens of thousands of adults and children use dirty water in West African countries like Sierra Leone. Many community wells were damaged or destroyed during the nation’s 11-year civil war. Even though the war ended in 2002, residents are forced to use whatever water source they can find.

 

Our goal is $3000 so a well can be repaired for a needy village in Sierra Leone.

 

Our hope is that Pathway can be involved in the movement ending the global water crisis through partnerships with organizations like The Water Project.

 

For more information or to give financially to our project,

please call (858) 277-3027 or email contactus@pathwayonline.org

 

 

 

The Water Project, Inc. is a Christian non-profit organization committed to removing obstacles to development throughout the world. They follow the Bible's clear calls to "provide a cup of cold water" and to answer the need of those who say "I am thirsty" (Matt 25).

 

 

Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa which is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. It covers an area of 27,699 square miles and has a population estimated at 6.5 million. The country has a tropical climate, with diverse environments ranging from savannah to rainforests.

 

Sierra Leone is the third-lowest-ranked country on the Human Development Index and eighth-lowest on the Human Poverty Index.

 

Sierra Leone suffered terribly during a bloody and brutal civil war which began in 1991, by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Tens of thousands died and more than 2 million people (over one-third of the population) were displaced because of the 11-year conflict.

 

 

 

 

**Recommended Reading: “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” by Ishmael Beah