
Written by Bethany Yaffe
Environmental Engineer
Well Water Global Board of Directors
Today is Giving Tuesday. Here is a reminder why giving clean water today will make a huge impact.
Over the last six weeks, we have published a series of articles that review access to drinking water and sanitation in different countries and we have shared about the spring protection box projects that Well Water Global has completed this year to help people in rural villages gain access to clean water. To recap, one-third of the global population needs access to clean drinking water, and one-half of the global population needs access to sanitation.
The World Bank estimates that it will cost 6.7 trillion US dollars globally to meet the goal of all people having access to clean water and sanitation. We discussed why it is important to have access to clean water in terms of health impacts. However, access to clean water doesn’t just improve people’s health, but it also encourages economic growth. Researchers at the University of Oxford estimate that economic losses related to water insecurity and poor sanitation amount to 470 billion US dollars per year.
This seems like a huge task, and it is, but every clean-water project that is completed drastically changes people’s lives and the trajectory of entire communities. By giving people access to clean water sources and hygiene education, we have the potential to prevent 10% of all global diseases. Additionally, providing populations with access to clean water gives back to that community exponentially, as communities that have access to water experience economic growth that ranges from $5-$46 dollars for every $1 invested (developing countries with improved access to clean water and sanitation experienced an average of 3.7% growth, while similar countries without access to water and improved sanitation experienced an average growth of 0.1%). For every $1 dollar invested in basic drinking water, an average of $7 is returned in saved medical costs and increased productivity. Health, employment, and economic benefits arise from increased productivity due to less workers taking time off while sick (global benefit of 750 million US dollars) and using time otherwise spent fetching water and looking for an adequate location to relieve oneself to work (global benefit of 64 billion US dollars).
What can we do to help meet this need? Giving financially helps a lot (and remember, giving to Well Water Global is tax deductible), but there are also different ways you can give that don’t mean taking your wallet out:
Environmental Engineer
Well Water Global Board of Directors
Today is Giving Tuesday. Here is a reminder why giving clean water today will make a huge impact.
Over the last six weeks, we have published a series of articles that review access to drinking water and sanitation in different countries and we have shared about the spring protection box projects that Well Water Global has completed this year to help people in rural villages gain access to clean water. To recap, one-third of the global population needs access to clean drinking water, and one-half of the global population needs access to sanitation.
The World Bank estimates that it will cost 6.7 trillion US dollars globally to meet the goal of all people having access to clean water and sanitation. We discussed why it is important to have access to clean water in terms of health impacts. However, access to clean water doesn’t just improve people’s health, but it also encourages economic growth. Researchers at the University of Oxford estimate that economic losses related to water insecurity and poor sanitation amount to 470 billion US dollars per year.
This seems like a huge task, and it is, but every clean-water project that is completed drastically changes people’s lives and the trajectory of entire communities. By giving people access to clean water sources and hygiene education, we have the potential to prevent 10% of all global diseases. Additionally, providing populations with access to clean water gives back to that community exponentially, as communities that have access to water experience economic growth that ranges from $5-$46 dollars for every $1 invested (developing countries with improved access to clean water and sanitation experienced an average of 3.7% growth, while similar countries without access to water and improved sanitation experienced an average growth of 0.1%). For every $1 dollar invested in basic drinking water, an average of $7 is returned in saved medical costs and increased productivity. Health, employment, and economic benefits arise from increased productivity due to less workers taking time off while sick (global benefit of 750 million US dollars) and using time otherwise spent fetching water and looking for an adequate location to relieve oneself to work (global benefit of 64 billion US dollars).
What can we do to help meet this need? Giving financially helps a lot (and remember, giving to Well Water Global is tax deductible), but there are also different ways you can give that don’t mean taking your wallet out:
- Organize a casual day at work and ask for a $5 donation to participate.
- Use smile.amazon.com and choose Well Water Global as your charity of choice when shopping online.
- Create a facebook fundraiser (templates are provided!).
- Get the word out on this important work: value water and share updates from your favorite water-oriented nonprofits on social media to spread awareness.
- See if your employer will match your own donations and every dollar you give will count as double.