Having access to clean water is something we can easily take for granted. Today, 650 million people lack daily access to safe drinking water and 2.3 billion people live without basic sanitation.
In Africa alone, women spend 40 billion hours a year collecting contaminated water. Water-born diseases kill more people every year than violence, including war. 43 percent of these deaths are in children under 5 years old.
Our non-profit partner, Pump Aid, has delivered sustainable water solutions to over 9,500 people since 1998. Today, 1.35 million people have access to safe water and improved sanitation because of their work.
Waiakea's collective mission with Pump Aid is to help people in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa who need it most. Inadequate access to private, hygienic sanitation facilities brings shame and physical discomfort.
Unfortunately, it's common for women to go as far as waiting until the end of the day to use the restroom, and often, girls will drop out of school during menstruation.
"Oh boy, we had a big crisis in respect to water supply," says Chibanga Village Chief, Joseph Kaputa. "I'm not only talking about diarrheal diseases here, but also the distance which we had to travel to fetch water. We are so grateful for this pump." He went on to explain that they used to walk around 3 kilometers in search for clean, safe drinking water. "It’s not that we didn’t know anything about these sanitation and hygiene issues before, but it’s just that Pump Aid has energized us to carry on and make sure that sanitation and hygiene practices are routine to our daily lives."
With the ultimate goal being for people to become self-reliant, we hope that this work eliminates the need for ongoing external support in these communities. This is achieved by getting local buy in, consulting with village leaders, and creating sustainable solutions. Your donations go towards delivering health, opportunities, and resilience through sustainable clean water supplies, sanitation, and education.
Pump Aid has now started to locate community pumps within the grounds of rural nursery schools. These pre-schools act as a safe haven for children at what may be the most vulnerable time of their lives. Along with providing safe water, the Pump Aid team also builds hygienic restrooms and encourages setting up kitchen gardens. The children use the pump while school is in session, and the rest of the community is able to use it when it is not. This promotes good nutrition, which in turn improves health and reduces the spread of water-born diseases.
Waiakea has worked with Pump Aid for five years now, giving 2,000 rural Malawians 20 years' worth of safe drinking water! And these numbers will only continue to grow; thanks to your support, for each liter of Waiakea sold, the equivalent of 1 week of clean drinking water is contributed to these communities in need.
Mahalo nui for your support.