Water is Basic
The Challenge
Decades of war, poor land management and the current drought have left the people of Sudan facing a desperate water shortage. Over 70 percent of the population has no access to safe water, and only 18 percent have a toilet. According to the UN, waterborne diseases kill four children worldwide per minute (one child every 15 seconds). According to USAID, one in every four children born in Southern Sudan dies before the age of five. Half of those deaths are from water-related illnesses.
Due to the civil war, millions of Sudanese fled the country. Now with the relatively stable peace, many of these refugees are returning. Two hundred and fifty thousand Sudanese refugees are expected to return to their homeland in 2007 alone, but they are returning to areas with no infrastructure or services, particularly water and sanitation. 20,000 wells will need to be drilled in Sudan to provide minimal (though not adequate) support.
Women and children in Sudan spend many hours a day trying to bring safe water to their families. Some are attacked by wild animals or raped on their long journeys to find water. For those who survive, time spent hauling water robs them of getting an education. In addition, women carrying water are frequently exposed to malnutrition and anemia, and children can develop scoliosis.
An average home in the west uses over 100 gallons of water each day. In contrast, an entire African family uses about five gallons of water each day. Just one flush of a toilet in the West uses more water than most Africans have to perform an entire day's washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking. UNESCO has calculated that to ensure that basic human needs are met, each person needs access to five to 13 gallons of water free from harmful contaminants each and every day.