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Protect the environment

"There is a water curfew in the community where I reside. Typhoid became a common occurrence when the rainy days came and we really feared it. The lack of clean water may be caused by the industries near the place."
- Rainier, 18, the Philippines on Voices of Youth

Boys collect water from a Mark II handpump in Mali.

Secure Safe Water and Adequate Sanitation for Children

Fact: Over 1 billion people do not have safe drinking water and almost 2.5 billion do not have adequate sanitation.

Sanitation and Wells Bring Wellness to Mali

Women throughout the developing world spend inordinate amounts of energy fetching water, often travelling four or more kilometers to the nearest source. The integrated Rural Water Supply, Hygiene Education and Sanitation Programme in Mali improved water and sanitation services and changed ideas about sanitation and hygiene. By drilling wells, upgrading boreholes, treating ponds to destroy the guinea worm vector and educating villagers about sanitation and disease, it succeeded in reducing the time women and children spend lugging water and lowered the incidence of guinea worm disease by 95 per cent.

Next: Provide health care to all children