Almost 900 million people around the world still lack access to safe drinking water. But this lack of access is not evenly spread – rural areas tend to be worse off, while girls and women feel the impact most as they are often expected to fetch water far from their homes.
Clean water where it’s needed
People in rural areas are five times more likely to be without clean drinking water compared to those who live in the city. For those in the countryside, this means a lot of sick people suffering from diarrhoeal illnesses and a lot of productive time lost as they are unable to work.
We will target our help towards rural areas ensuring that in Tanzania for example, an additional 1.3 million people can gain access to safe drinking water.
Women are twice as likely to fetch water as men. It's often a tough, time-consuming task with girls as young as five years old having to haul water for long distances. They walk miles every day collecting water for their families, which means they miss out on opportunities to work and go to school.
That is why in the Democratic Republic of Congo we will get clean water closer to the homes of another six million girls, mums and families by building standpipes and pumps in and around villages.
A reliable source of water
In remote villages across Africa and Asia, the nearest plumber or engineer can be a long way away. So as well as providing greater access to safe water, we will also help communities to look after the pumps and pipework that deliver it.
Take Ethiopia, where next year we will ensure 800,000 more people across the country benefit from a new water supply, providing communities with wells and boreholes along with the skills they need to maintain them.