Clean Water. What should be a basic human right remains to be a major issue around the world. According to a recent joint report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, access to clean water has fallen extremely short of millenium development goals. The report estimates that a shocking 38% of health centres have no access to water in lower and middle income countries and 35% do not even provide water and soap for staff and patients to wash their hands and maintain basic hygiene. What may be even more shocking however, is that only 25% of countries have funded plans to address this issue.
Dirty water is said to be one of the top five killers of women worldwide and Wateraid reports that one in five newborn deaths could be prevented with safe water, sanitation and clean hands.
“It’s an embarrassment for the health sector that this issue is so ignored. It’s a fixable crisis. It’s a crisis because it’s hidden.” - Bruce Gordon, coordinator of water, sanitation, hygiene and health for the WHO